Okay, part two is here.

Despite being split into two chapters, this is still the second-longest chapter lol.

Anyway, let's get started.

Ruiko sat on her desk, waiting for the class to wrap up. She began to think about her roommate. She was slowly getting worried for Emilia, and Mikoto was acting strange too. Ruiko's train of thought was interrupted by the bell. As soon as it rang, she walked up to Kazari. She was looking elsewhere, so it was the perfect time to strike.

"Ui-ha-ru!" Ruiko said, performing an unspeakable action.

Kazari immediately blushed, whined and pouted. The exact type of reaction Ruiko was looking for.

"S-Saten-san! Do I need to even say this again?"

"Sorry, sorry." Ruiko waved her hand dismissively. "Are Misaka-san and Shrai-san going to join the hotpot?"

"We don't know yet. They didn't ask their dorm manager."

Ruiko had a distant look. Emilia missed a lot of things, especially the session she had making cookies with Mikoto. She hoped that Emilia would come back and join the hotpot they were planning.

Ruiko shook it off and returned to her cheerful self. "Well, you're off to work aren't you? I'm going to go home, see you later!"

The sudden change caught Kazari by surprise. "O-oh. Okay, I'll keep you updated."

"Please do!"

Emilia hurriedly walked out the area, trying to leave as soon as possible without looking rude. She felt somewhat uneasy with the people wearing white, and a bit ashamed of feeling this way.

By the time she reached the entrance again, she met Mikoto leaning by the wall. She had her eyes closed, as if she were sleeping in a standing position. Mikoto's eye's looked up as soon as Emilia came near.

"Ah, Emilia. How'd it go?"

"Smoothly." Emilia responded, hiding her slight bewilderment. She must have felt my magnetic fields.

"Great. Why don't you come with me?" Mikoto invited.

"Sure." Emilia responded without a thought. "Where are we going?"

"I just want you to meet our dorm manager, and get you introduced to your room."

Emilia's heart felt a shiver of excitement. "Would I be getting a roommate?"

"Not necessarily." Mikoto responded. She started to walk off, and Emilia followed by her side. "In fact, I really doubt it. You did transfer out of the blue, so it's hard to say that the school's already got one assigned for you."

They both stayed silent after a while, but Mikoto slowed her walking suddenly. "Hey. Do you know a detour from here?"

Emilia thought quickly. "I do. Although I'm not all that sure about wh-"

"Let's take it." Mikoto responded in a heartbeat.

"Seriously, what did Mental Out ever do to you?" Emilia said, reading Mikoto like an open book.

"Let's just take it." Mikoto said quickly, avoiding the subject.

Emilia sighed softly and let it go. For now, it only seemed like a childish grudge and nothing big. "This way." She said, taking a quick right.

Emilia walked awkwardly to keep up with Mikoto's abnormally fast walking. She had to jog every so often to stay by Mikoto's side. This grudge seems a lot more childish than I thought.

Mikoto began to slow down, and Emilia's muscles loosened. She was starting to get uncomfortable walking at a fast pace for this long. However all of a sudden, Emilia felt a hint of energy coming her way. The wave was only blocked off by the formula Emilia set up running. Oh good, I was worried that it wouldn't work. This function is very convenient. Emilia looked to see where the hint of energy came from to see the same blond girl holding out a remote, wearing a stunned face.

Emilia got a slight kick out of the reaction, and had her ego boasted a little. Mikoto didn't seem to notice the interaction between them, and Emilia decided to continue guiding Mikoto.

Emilia and Mikoto were sitting politely in front of a woman. This woman was tall and slender, with shoulder-length brown hair. She was wearing glasses, and she was using them to read a piece of paper. This mature lady was the Tokiwadai Dorm supervisor Emilia had heard so much about, and she was exactly how Emilia had pictured her.

"So you want an afternoon pass for today?" The supervisor asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Y-yes." Mikoto replied.

Emilia stole a glance at Mikoto. She was very tense, and her back was up completely straight. What is she so worried about?

"After giving me such a weak excuse from going out without permission so often, you're actually asking this time? You have some nerve, Misaka."

Emilia wanted to question the dorm supervisor on why Mikoto was supposed to ask for permission to go out every time, and how the school manages the requests from all the girls in Tokiwadai. However, she kept silent because the dorm supervisor seemed to be having something at the moment.

"Now, all the paperwork seems to be here."

Mikoto let out a visible sigh of relief, somewhat covered by a chuckle.

"But incidentally, I got a similar request from Shirai. It has the same reason too: Studying with friends."

Geez, this woman is sharp. Emilia thought.

"Well yes, I-" Mikoto tried to reason, but the woman cut her off.

"What are you scheming?" The woman asked, now up in Mikoto's face.

"It's just studying! Studying!" Mikoto said with visible panic.

"If you're studying, you can do it in the dorm. There has to be a reason to go elsewhere."

How paranoid is this lady!? "If I may interject, we do have friends from another school. I suppose Mikoto wanted a change of pace." Emilia said.

"Very well, request granted." The supervisor turned to Emilia, and smiled. The intimidating aura surrounding her vanished in an instant. "You must be Emilia, right? I kindly welcome you to Tokiwadai Middle School. I hope you enjoy it"

"Um yes, thank you." Emilia said.

Both of the girls stood up, bowed politely, and took their leave.

"Your supervisor is a bit on the strict side, isn't she?" Emilia asked. She already knew about it, but she asked the question anyway to start a conversation.

"I know." Mikoto said with a sigh. "Hey, do you want to visit my sisters with me?" She asked out of the blue.

"What's this all of a sudden?" Emilia asked, taken aback. "I suppose I haven't really given them a proper visit, haven't I? I'm really sorry, I was busy with other affairs."

"It's fine, let's go. You can then join us for a hotpot coming after that." Mikoto said.

Mikoto and Emilia had a seat in the waiting room of a certain hospital. Mikoto had her bag neatly on her lap, waiting rather nervously. Emilia had her legs crossed, and was a bit more laid back.

The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet, but still had a bit of tension. Emilia looked around to pass the time, until her eyes laid onto a vending machine. I suppose I could go for a drink.

Emilia pulled out the new wallet she bought and took a peek inside. It was almost overflowing with cash. Emilia shifted uncomfortably. I guess I should start using money cards, my income as a level 5 almost shot right up. I'm going to get spoiled at this rate…

"I'm going to go buy a drink." Emilia said nonchalantly. Mikoto nodded in response.

"Ah." A familiar voice called out. The drink Emilia bought was just dispensed from the machine, and the two girl's attention shifted to the doctor. "Here for the girls?" He asked.

"Yes." Emilia said, picking up her drink.

"Well then, come with me." The frog-faced doctor said.

Emilia and Mikoto proceeded to follow the doctor, while Emilia opened up the can. Mikoto looked at the drink Emilia bought.

"Lemonade? What are you, 7?" Mikoto asked in a bit of a teasing manner.

"Well, the rest of the drinks are next to impossible." Emilia reasoned. "Red bean flavor? Curry flavor? Milk Cider? I'm not even sure if those are edible."

"Well, the red bean flavor isn't all that bad." Mikoto said.

"You tried it?"

After a few minutes, Mikoto ended up sitting in a stool, face to face with the doctor. Emilia stood against the wall, standing in a respectable distance.

"They're all doing well. The injured one is making good progress too." His eyes shifted back towards his desk. "On the surface, anyway."

"On the surface?" Mikoto echoed.

"Following my examination, I learned a few things. They are clones, made from your somatic cells, but by being administered various drugs within the culture fluid, their bodies have grown rapidly."

"So they had their lives shortened even further, huh?" Emilia finished with a stoic expression in her eyes.

"Exactly."

"How long do you mean?" Mikoto said in a panic.

"I'd say a year or two a most." The doctor replied.

"No way." Mikoto breathed out. Emilia clenched her fist silently.

Mikoto stood up, but the doctor continued to speak. "That's why they need to be adjusted. By balancing the hormones that promote this growth, and regulating the rate of mitosis within the cells, we should be able to recover their life-spans."

Emilia sighed. "Don't scare us like that." She said.

"Sorry about that. But the fight for those girls will still go on."

Mikoto and Emilia politely said goodbye, and they were back in the waiting room. "I'm going to stay here, you go on ahead. Where is the hotpot? Can Azusa join too?"

"It will be at Saten's place. Don't worry, Azusa can join too."

"Thanks." Emilia said.

While Mikoto left, Emilia opened up a certain hospital room for a visit. She closed the door to find a girl with Mikoto's face. She had a few bandages, including one around her eye.

"Hello. You're that girl, Misaka greets with a bit of surprise."

"Yep. That's me. 10032, right?" Emilia said, sitting down.

"Your guess is correct, Misaka states in approval."

"So, how are you doing as of right now?"

"Misaka is having an unsure feeling about her purpose at the moment."

"I suppose that's only natural." Emilia said. "I won't be saying anything cliché, so all I can tell you is that's up to you to figure out. I'll invite you to a restaurant I know once you're all fixed up." Though it's already very likely one of your clones experienced the place.

"Misaka is oblivious to the term 'cliché', but confirms that she will think about it herself." The door opened, and another Mikoto walked into the room.

"I'm coming in, Misaka announces and definitely wasn't eavesdropping on your conversation." The clone at the door said.

What a master of deception. Emilia thought sarcastically.

"As a thank you gift from that night, Misaka will give you this, Misaka says, finding the right moment." The clone walked forward to politely hand a pair of military goggles to Emilia. It looked similar to what the sisters wear, but Emilia could already tell they were special.

"It's a pair of goggles that will fit your ability, Misaka explains as you inspect them."

The bandaged clone jumped in. "We worked together to engineer these goggles to express our thanks, Misaka says, stealing the opportunity."

Emilia was stunned. They made this… for me? How does it work? She put them on, and Emilia was able to sense the most faint heat signatures in the room, including the hand prints briefly onto the door. She then took them off.

"It does more than sense heat signatures. Misaka clarifies."

"You should be thanking Kamijou. Did you get him a gift?" Emilia asked.

"No, that would be embarrassing, Misaka says looking away."

"Thank you guys. This means a lot to me." Emilia said with a smile.

"You are very welcome, Misaka states, enjoying this every moment."

Once Emilia left, she called Azusa, and she didn't respond. Emilia tried once more, but no one answered. Oh well, I guess she won't be coming then.

Emilia realized she was late, and she didn't yet know what kind of ingredients to buy. I feel happy that I can burn some cash for my friends, but I don't know what to get. It would probably be logical that meat and vegetables are already there, what else could a hotpot need?

Emilia ran to a store anyway, hoping to get some ideas there.

Emilia knocked on the door. It's been so long since she lived there, and she wondered what had changed. It should be unlocked, right? I'll just let myself in. She opened the door to see an electrocuted Kuroko on the ground. Her hair was still smoldering, as Ruiko and Kazari stared at her in shock.

"Did I come at the wrong time?" Emilia asked, a little bewildered. She could already piece together what must have happened.

Ruiko snapped out of it, and her eyes lit up. "Emilia!" She cheered, she gave her friend a big hug.

"Uh, hey, I'm back." Emilia said, patting Ruiko.

She got settled in, and opened up what she bought. "Fish cakes." She said. "I thought I'd get something unique. This is apparently what Koreans put in their hotpots. It's not too unique, is it?"

"Oh don't worry, we can't be surprised anymore because of the turtle Kuroko got." Mikoto reassured.

"Turtle?" Emilia echoed.

"Yeah." Ruiko said. "Anyway, I'm surprised you came! It's always nice to have another friend here."

"Yeah, Misaka invited me when I came back from my trip." Emilia said. They don't need to know about my hardships. It's all the past anyway.

"Well, let's dig in." Mikoto said.

Emilia got her chopsticks, and began to eat. Her friends were complimenting the food, but Emilia just ate silently.

"I hope Haruee comes here soon." Ruiko said, looking at the ceiling.

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute." Kazari reassured Ruiko.

"Should we have started without her?" Mikoto said, a bit worried.

"We still have plenty of meat left." Kuroko said.

"Yeah, let's keep eating!" Ruiko said.

After a little while, Emilia still hasn't said a word. "You know, food really does taste better when you're with other people." Mikoto and Kuroko gave an approving look. Emilia quietly stood up, and put her bowl down. She proceeded to take out her bag that was under her bed, and quietly put her belongings inside of it. Her friends didn't mention anything about what Emilia was doing, and there wasn't much to take.

"Well yes, I suppose food and cookies really does taste better, isn't that right Misaka-san?" Ruiko said, staring at Mikoto.

Mikoto choked on her food.

"Onee-Sama! Are you alright?" Kuroko cried.

"I'm fine." Mikoto said hurriedly as she grabbed a napkin to clean the spill she made onto her lap.

"But your face is all red, and you're sweating!" Kuroko pointed out.

"What!? No really, I'm fine!" Mikoto replied, using her sleeves to wipe the sweat.

"Misaka, it's about him, right?" Emilia jumped in, as she just finished packing all her belongings. She immediately got everyone's attention.

Kuroko was the first to speak. "What!? Onee-Sama would never!"

"Emilia!" Ruiko begged. "You've got to tell me! Is he handsome? Strong?"

"Emilia, I thought you were on a trip?" Kazari asked.

Emilia turned to Kazari. "Oh, I actually came back from my trip earlier than you think. Me and Misaka did a few things, and I was too busy to notify you. Sorry about that." Emilia walked closer to the exit. "I had a great time, thanks for the meal."

"Nevermind that, just tell me about this guy!" Ruiko whined.

Emilia let out a mischievous smile. "Oh yeah, he's-"

"Tell him and you die." Mikoto threatened firmly.

"Oh? I may have lost that first scrimmage, but I can still be down for a fight you know?" Emilia said with a confident smile.

"Alright, no going back now! You'll make a great warm up for him!" Mikoto said.

"Looking forward to it." Emilia said. She walked closer to the exit.

The remaining three friends stared at the two interacting with shock. They were speechless. They simply stared as Emilia waved a goodbye and left the dorm. She was gone before they knew it.

"Misaka-san… what happened?" Kazari asked.

Mikoto turned to look at Kazari. "Oh, it's a long story." She said, laughing it off.

"Wait, about that 'first scrimmage' Emilia mentioned, did she mean an actual fight?" Kuroko asked.

"Well…" Mikoto said, scratching her head.

"How did Emilia even stand a chance against you? Unless…" Ruiko said.

"Yeah, she's a level 5." Mikoto muttered.

The room went silent.

"Pardon me, Onee-Sama?" Kuroko asked, making sure her ears aren't deceiving her.

"She's a level 5." Mikoto said with a straight face.

"Onee-Sama, don't tell me you favor another level 5 over me?" Kuroko said.

"That's besides the point!" Ruiko and Kazari shouted, still confused and shocked.

"Wait, let me call her." Ruiko said. She grabbed her cellphone, and everyone was silent as Ruiko waited for Emilia to pick up.

"Hello?" Emilia's voice called out.

"Emilia! Are you a level 5!?" Ruiko asked bluntly.

A sigh was heard on the other line. "Maybe." She said.

"What do you mean, maybe?" Ruiko said.

"Uh, yeah. I'd hate to announce it to almost everyone I meet, but I guess you could say that."

"What about you being a level 1?"

"There was an error in the scan."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"It's not all that amazing."

"What are you talking about, that is amazing!"

"Can I go now? I'm tired."

"Absolutely not! What exactly can your ability do?"

Emilia hung up anyway.