A/N: Second and final part to the Close Encounters mini-arc. Next chapter will probably be the start of a new arc. Look forward to it.
Also, before anyone asks, just don't think too much about it.
Gathering
Misaka Mikoto sat on a log. In her hands, she held onto a ceramic teacup. Across from her was Nunotaba Shinobu and a guy in a hazmat suit.
The guy in the hazmat suit pulled out a thermos and poured hot tea for the three of them.
"…"
The Level 5 quietly sipped the contents of her cup while the other two looked on in anticipation.
"…it's good."
A pleasant sense of relief spread between the two.
Nunotaba Shinobu calmly enjoyed her own cup.
" [ Lovely. ] "
And the guy in hazmat suit poured liquid onto the front side of his helmet.
"Delicious."
…
[ SFX: *crickets* ]
The researcher spoke up.
"So what brings you here at this time of night?"
"I should be the one asking that."
Attack on UFO
Misaka Mikoto gathered her thoughts aloud.
"So the two of you are… conducting an experiment?"
" [ Exactment. ] "
Nunotaba Shinobu snapped her fingers and pointed dynamically. Though her facial expression remained the same.
"I'm overseeing the testing of an experimental tractor beam for use on board aircrafts… such as these here…"
The researcher motioned to the nearby saucer-shaped flying machine.
"Things were going smoothly until the pilot…"
She motioned to the guy in the hazmat suit.
[ SFX: *splashes tea on face* ]
"…experienced technical difficulties. Apparently, he was struck by lightning. Or so, that's the excuse he's giving."
"That's not an excuse. Something hit me while I was up there. It took out all my equipment, and I had to make an emergency landing from a freefall. I seriously thought I was gonna die there."
"In any case, I'm currently in the process of evaluating the situation."
( H. S. Guy: I know you lack emotional range, but can you at least try to act like you're concerned? )
( Shinobu: What are you talking about? I am very expressive. )
Struck by lightning…?
Thinking back to what happened recently, Misaka Mikoto began to sweat.
Jamais Vu
"Well, never mind that for now."
Misaka Mikoto quickly dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand.
"What I really want to know is…"
The girl gave Nunotaba Shinobu a curious look.
"Shouldn't you be in America or something? I admit, I was pretty much on autopilot during the whole Silent Party Arc, so I might have missed out on some details… but I definitely remember you taking a plane out of the country. Or something like that."
Nunotaba Shinobu replied in monotone.
"That was actually my twin sister, Nunotaba Shinopu. I had her take my place in Railgun S, since I was busy with a dentist appointment."
The researcher turned her head to the side.
"Huh? I feel like I've said this recently…"
Turning back…
"Anyway, you should be able to distinguish the two of us through our facial features. Shinopu has these huge unsightly irises. Extremely unnatural. Unlike my own."
"I see."
Please Go and Stay Go
The guy in the hazmat suit raised his hand.
"Hey, wanna know why I'm here? I bet you're curious! It's a really interesting story! Really! In fact, explaining it in just one chapter probably wouldn't do it justice!"
"…"
The other two stared blankly.
"You see, it all started when I-"
"[ Leave. ]
"WHY?-!"
Nunotaba Shinobu gave him the cold shoulder.
"Don't you have P*kemon to catch?"
"Ah… uh, oh shit. That's right…"
Hastily finishing his tea, the guy in the hazmat suit went on to pursue the wandering Pik*chu with his smartphone.
…
This left the two girls alone with each other.
Border of Reality and Fiction
"…"
A somewhat dense quietness hovered over the two girls. It made Misaka Mikoto feel somewhat uneasy.
Erm… By the flow of the conversation, I should say why I'm out here too. I probably shouldn't mention anything about aliens though…
The Number 3 coughed. Cheerfully explaining herself…
"By the way, I just happened to be taking a night walk when-"
She was interrupted.
"Misaka Mikoto."
"Yes!"
The girl jolted to an upright position.
Nunotaba Shinobu raised her teacup.
"The two of us speak seldom, so it may be strange to ask."
The researcher took a sip.
"Do you mind listening to a story of mine?"
Melancholia
Misaka Mikoto's eyes softened slightly.
"I'm… I'm listening…"
…
Nunotaba Shinobu continued.
As she spoke, it was like she was recalling something distant.
"Nagatenjouki Academy.
"That school is considered to be one of the most prestigious in Academy City. Supposedly the best. Though… that may be statisticians boasting about irrelevant numbers.
"I will say that, from my time enrolled, there were high standards imposed on all of its students."
Misaka Mikoto was vaguely aware.
During the events of Radio Noise, Nunotaba Shinobu had been expelled.
A gifted person such as her may not have benefited much from mandatory academic lessons, but it still meant a loss of something resembling a normal high school life. Commuting. Making friends. Eating lunch in a cafeteria…
Perhaps… these were things she regretted and missed.
"I can remember Nagatenjouki's pride in guidelines and procedures.
"To say the least, instructors would go out of their way to discipline those who didn't completely adhere to the school dress code. Articles such as ribbons and bracelets…
"Even after I appealed, those bastards wouldn't accept my gothic Lolita cosplay."
( Teacher: Nunotaba-san… For the last time… )
"I don't blame them."
Boys and Girls of a Science Era
I'm not one to socialize with classmates. But in the times that I did, encounters would usually start and end similarly…
[ "Eugh… creepy." ]
I never held ill will toward anyone. I would, however, craft dolls and give them similar names to those of my peers. But even as I hammered nails into those models, not one malevolent thought crossed my mind.
"R-Really? It kinda sounds like you're a little bit angry…"
I suppose it was through them that I learned of a special existence in the academy. Those rumors made their rounds across campus.
[ "Did you hear? Apparently, he got enrolled into Nagatenjouki." ]
[ "Him? No way! I don't believe it!" ]
[ "It's true! It's true! Really! My dad works at-" ]
My curiosity peaked. And so, I did my own research.
…
Whether it was through a political maneuver or maybe luck of the draw…
Nagatenjouki Academy had acquired an extremely powerful person.
Someone extraordinary.
Someone who had the potential to achieve the level of a god.
I'm sure you know who I'm talking about.
"…"
Misaka Mikoto called to mind a certain red-eyed boy.
And the researcher continued.
His name was… Son G*ku.
"STOP."
Cha-La Head
"Is something wrong?"
Nunotaba Shinobu momentarily stopped her story.
"Everything is wrong."
"Hmm…"
As expected, Son G*ku never attended class, opting to train instead.
"You're still going?-!"
And to my surprise, after finding this out, I was appointed to assist him in his power development.
( Shinobu: I can feel it! You're stronger than C*ll now! )
( G*ku: No! It's not enough! )
"Is any of this real?-!"
Well… this and that happened afterwards. A lot of people died and came back to life. Most of it doesn't matter since every problem was fixed with a wish to Shenr*n, but…
I can recall an exchange I had with Son G*ku…
Shinobu: School sucks. Everyone's mean.
G*ku: Sounds like you've got a classroom full of Veg*tas.
Look. When dealing with those kind of people, you've just gotta remember. They're prideful. They've got a lot on their mind. And that's okay. Nine times out of ten, they're coming from a good place.
That tenth time, though, is pure spite. That's when it's cool to kick their ass. Make sure to do it in front of his family to really make it hurt.
Shinobu: Wow! Thanks G*ku!
And then he saved the world with a Spirit B*mb.
"…"
Nunotaba Shinobu stared blankly.
"That was a Dragonb*ll reference."
"No kidding."
Soft Reveal
Misaka Mikoto sighed.
"I'm sorry, but… what was the point to that story?"
…
The researcher set her cup down on the grass.
Amidst her stony gaze, there was a hint of kindness.
"I care about your well-being as well as everyone else in the experiment. I assure you. Everyone is participating out of their own free will."
…huh?
"Project Super Seven. The social experiment that gathers Level 5s together.
"I may not be the Project Leader, but I am in a sense his superior. It's my responsibility to see things through, so whenever you feel overwhelmed, feel free to contact me."
Nunotaba Shinobu's involvement was news to Misaka Mikoto. And as she let this new information sink in, lights behind her started to glow.
…?-!
The aircraft seemed to be receiving power once again.
Meaningless Thoughts
"Is it back?-! It rebooted, right?-!"
The guy in the hazmat suit came back running into the scene.
…
The researcher stood up. And without looking, she gave her last piece to Misaka Mikoto.
"Thinking back on Nagatenjouki, there are a lot of 'ifs'…
"If the two of us had met under more normal circumstances…
"If he had decided to attend as an actual student…
"And if I had the opportunity to see him…
"I wonder…
"How different would our situation be?
"It's pointless to think about but entertaining to mull over.
"Me and G*ku that is."
…
There was no doubt she had someone else in mind, though Misaka Mikoto wouldn't say anything about it.
She more or less came to understand what her intentions were.
"…"
Nunotaba Shinobu turned to the Level 5. A display of colors illuminated her labcoat, turning it technicolored.
"It's gotten late. Would you like us to give you a ride?"
…
Raising her head toward the spaceship and back to Nunotaba Shinobu…
"Sure."
For some reason, Misaka Mikoto felt a little bit better about everything.
Suggested Post-Reading Listening: Stratostella by Nayutalien
Timeline (condensed): 10, 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 19, 20, x, 3, x, 12-17, x, 5-7, x, 11
Next Chapter: Mugino Shizuri makes a mistake.
Extra
In the Tokiwadai Dormatory…
Shirai Kuroko was sleeping soundly. That is, until the entire room started violently shaking.
[ SFX: WUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUB ]
She fell out of bed in a stupor and haphazardly held onto the side of her mattress for stability.
"EHHH- UWAWAWAWAWAWA?-!"
A multitude of lights flicked from the windows. And as the teleporter managed to get close enough to catch a glimpse outside…
( Mikoto: See ya! )
She saw Misaka Mikoto waving goodbye to a UFO.
…
The next day…
"Onee-sama. I had the weirdest dream."
"You'll get used to it."
Extra II
Before Misaka Mikoto had arrived at the crash site…
Nunotaba Shinobu and the guy in the hazmat suit had a conversation.
"Goddamn! What the hell?-! Did you see that?"
"See?"
"It was like…! It was like a beam! I guess it had to be lightning or something! I got hit from above and my equipment got scrambled!"
"…"
Nunotaba Shinobu stared blankly.
"Just to be sure… Lightning? From above? Not below?"
"Yeah. Obviously."
"…"
…
Flash forward…
The cow affectionately named 'Shokuhou Misaki' had wandered to the shoreline.
[ Misaki: Ghighizghighgzghi. ]
On its forehead, a third eye opened.
It crawled into the depths of the riverbank.
