A/N: Here it is, the first new chapter in a while. It took a long time, but it's finally finished.

Hope you enjoy

So after "that" little incident, the rest of lunch went off without a hitch….. or at least that's what should've happened.

You see, it wasn't long before Kuroko recovered from Misaka's electrical punishment. I guess being electrocuted on a regular basis gave her some kind of immunity to it. Misaka allowed her, albeit reluctantly, to sit and eat lunch with us, despite any and all common sense where she should've just told her to piss off after what she did. Misaka reassured me, or rather tried to reassure me, that she'd keep an eye on Kuroko and make sure that she behaved herself. Reluctantly, I took her word on it, but deep down, I just wanted to lambast Misaka for her being too okay with this decision.

I mean, if your friend randomly showed up and decided to give you grief like that, would you really be that quick to forgive them and just let bygones be bygones? True, Kuroko's on thin ice with Misaka right now, but if I were her, I'd tell her to stay the hell away from me. I knew from memory that Misaka was a kind person who was quick to forgive, albeit with a bit of a vindictive streak, and I know that Kuroko wasn't inherently a bad person, seeing how she often she helps people as part of Judgement, but still though. If you honestly think I was going to forgive Kuroko for what she tried to pull with me, then she has another thing coming!

Kuroko didn't really order anything except for a small slice of cake and a cup of tea. None of us said anything to each other, and outside of some background noise, it was eerily quiet at our table. Me and Misaka were pretty much looking down the whole time eating our respective meals. To say it was awkward was a big understatement. Every now and then I would look off slightly to my right and catch glimpses of Kuroko in the corner of my eye giving me the stink eye. However, when I actually tried to look at her, she looked away when our eyes made contact, not so subtly pretending like she wasn't doing anything.

Seriously? You're still suspicious of me after everything that happened? Was your precious Onee-sama's word not good enough for you? I do NOT deserve this kind of bullshit silent treatment, especially if it's coming from what's considered the local law enforcement. With the way she's acting toward me right now, it's almost like she's just waiting for the slimmest chance of catching me in the act of doing something wrong, or what she would consider wrong from her perspective, just so she'd have an excuse to arrest me. I couldn't even call her out on her attitude without drawing more of her ire, and if Misaka wasn't here, what would've stopped her from using her esper powers and combat abilities to kick my ass?

With no other option, I just settled on glaring down at my plate because fuck my life right now!

At least the food was good though.

-x-

After lunch, my tour of Academy City officially began. I was initially excited….. but that didn't last very long.

Instead of leaving after we finished eating, Kuroko decided to tag along with us because of course she would. Doesn't she have a patrol to get back to or something? I guess matters involving Misaka transcended her duty above all else? Or maybe a single terrorist bombing qualified as it being a slow day? Who knows?

I just rolled my eyes in annoyance.

Ugh!

Anyway, we spent the next 2 hours or so walking throughout the city, stopping to look at some of the landscapes and learning various tidbits of information from Misaka or whomever we met along the way. I knew Academy City had a huge focus on the educational aspect, but finding out the number of schools and campuses in this place was nothing short of staggering. And of course, learning more about the technological aspect made my inner geek squee with joy. It was like I walked into a sci-fi show. With how Academy City was able to produce technology that was decades ahead of the curve, it made me excited to see what kind of future my world will have when we finally have flying cars and all that cool shit.

While we walked, I chose to follow behind Misaka and Kuroko at a much slower pace, but not enough as to lose sight of them The pint-sized teleporter was completely latched around Misaka's arm chatting it up with her like a clingy girlfriend. It was nice to her distracted from antagonizing me further, but from my perspective, it made me feel like I was a third wheel, even though it's obvious who the real third wheel was around here. But wait, since I'm walking so far behind, won't other people think that I'm stalking two young schoolgirls- No, no! Gotta get that shit out of my head!

I don't need any intrusive thoughts stoking my paranoia right now, even if I wanted to distance myself from Kuroko as much as feasibly possible. Right now, I need something to take my mind off of that shit, and thankfully, taking in the sights made for the perfect distraction.

My experience with cities was limited. Besides New York, I've been to places like Maryland and Atlantic City, but the only times I went to those cities were with friends or family. I've been a suburban kid all my life, so living in a quiet neighborhood has always been my preferred choice. Regardless, a very big part of me wanted to explore every nook and cranny of this city just to take in how big it really was. Maybe at some point after getting settled in, I could do just that. Walking around and exploring were kind of second nature to me.

"Yo, Slater!" Misaka called out to me from- Oh my god she's that far away? When did that-

I quickly scanned my surroundings. To my embarassment, I found that I was just standing there on the sidewalk, letting pedestrians pass me by without noticing. Just when the hell did that happen? I looked at Misaka and Kuroko from afar; the two of them were on an overhead bridge connecting to the other side of the street. Damn it! I think I distracted myself a little too much!

"Slater!" Misaka called out even louder this time. "Get the lead out! Or we'll leave you behind!"

"S-Sorry! Coming!" And I hurried toward them without saying another word.

I really need to learn not to get so caught up in my thoughts.

-x-

And so, we made it to our next destination; the mall. And god damn was it huge! It looked more like an office building than an actual mall with how tall the building was! But what drew my attention initially was the purple sign above the entrance; it was in perfect English! "Seventh Mist" huh? Well at least I'll be able to remember the name of this place.

From what Misaka told me, there were nine floors as well as a basement level and it had dozens upon dozens of shops. Now I wasn't much of a mallrat, but even I have to say that for a mall, this was impressive. If I were a teenage girl, I'd consider this place holy ground, with sales and discounts coming out the wazoo, and me walking out with a hundred pairs of shoes that I'm only gonna wear once each! Where's the logic in that? Fuck logic! Viva la platinum card!

Okay, that's enough gushing.

Anyway, as soon as we went inside, Kuroko excused herself to use the little lady's room, but not before giving me a quick leer. Well fuck you too! I wanted to flip her off, but I think that gesture isn't offensive over here in the far east. After that, Misaka led me – or rather, grabbed me by the hand and dragged me - to a nearby ATM in a hurry to get me that money.

"Whoa whoa!" I protested as Misaka dragged me to the ATM. "What's the hurry?"

"I don't want Kuroko to know about this." Misaka replied as she put her card into the slot. "She's a member of Judgement you know. If she finds out about the money, then she'll start asking more questions. And if she finds out that you're an illegal alien, things would get even worse. I doubt that I even I could help you if it ever comes to that. Long story short, you'd be screwed."

…Yeah. I guess that was a stupid question to ask, wasn't it?

In no time at all, Misaka took the money out and gave it to me, where I immediately stashed it away in my pocket like we just made a black market deal. God I hope we weren't being watched!

"Thank you Misaka." I thanked her with a smile.

"You're welcome." Misaka replied with a smile of her own. "Now we can focus on finding you some essential stuff that you'll need. Then, we'll get started on finding you some temporary living arrangements."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a lot of things." I started counting with my fingers. "Clothes, a new phone, a- Wait, what?" My entire thought process came to a halt, like a needle scratching a record. "Living arrangements?"

"Well, yeah." Misaka stated. "You're not gonna be living out on the streets, are you?"

I simply shook my head.

"Then you're going to need a roof over your head." She made her point.

"But how are you going to do that?" I asked. "You're doing so much for me, but there's no way that you'd go so far as buying me a place to call my own, and even if I did, I obviously don't have any important documents and stuff to get a place. So how would you help in that regard?"

Misaka crossed her arms. "Well, I happen to know someone who has some connections." She then looked off to the side; a rather annoyed expression adorned her features.

"What's wrong?" I asked in concern.

"It's nothing major, it's just that she's…" She trailed off for a bit. "-not exactly a bad person, but she can be really annoying."

"And I'll be damned if I have to owe her another favor. She'll never let me hear the end of it! Just thinking about her pisses me off!" She muttered under her breath as she balled her hands into fists.

Oooooo-kay! People with shady connections? That... doesn't sound very reassuring. But this is someone Misaka knows, so it should be all good right? Right? Actually, I should ask her more about what this person's like. I opened my mouth and- Yikes! Misaka's pissed! I almost jumped out of my boots. If looks could kill, then that face she's making could make the toughest of fighters keel over in an instant. On second thought, I probably shouldn't speak up on account of NOT wanting to accidently stoke her anger... Right, I think it's time to change the subject.

"U-um, Misaka? You okay?" I awkwardly spoke up, treading as lightly as possible.

"Oh!" Misaka snapped out of it and looked back to me. "Sorry about that Slater! I didn't mean to get distracted like that." She let out an embarrassed chuckle. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's okay-" I replied. "-no harm done. So when are you gonna-"

"ONEE-SAMA!" Annnnnnddddddd Kuroko teleported in and grabbed onto Misaka. Again. And interrupted our conversation. Again! Is she doing this on purpose? Why is it that when we get down to the nitty-gritty, something has to interrupt us at just the wrong time? Could it be? Is this one of those "moment killers" that I've seen in hundreds of anime? Is that what's going on here?

You know how when a story tries to have a serious and/or intimate moment between certain characters, but another character – usually comic relief or a romantic rival – interrupts at the last second and "ha ha," it's hilarious? The situation right now was almost like that, except well it's not… you know, me and Misaka aren't intimate with-

No, no! Fuck what I was trying to say! My point is that now we're gonna have put our important business on hold again! I wish I had a desk to flip right now!

Argh!

"What do you want this time-"

"There's a sale going on at the clothing boutique on the third floor!" Kuroko announced excitedly, interrupting Misaka before she could finish.

"What? We don't have time for that." Misaka stated. "I need to help Slater with-"

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud Onee-sama!" Kuroko interrupted Misaka once again, before hopping off her back. "If a young maiden like you doesn't try to look her best now, then when will you?" She grabbed Misaka's hand, pulling her away from me to drag her along on a little shopping spree. "Come on! I know just the outfit that would be a perfect fit for you!"

Way to conveniently forget I was standing here. Or the actual reason why we came to the mall in the first place. Jackass.

"Wait! Kuroko!" Misaka protested, but to no avail. "Sorry Slater! Looks like I'm gonna have to deal with this first! We'll meet up with you at the outside tables once I'm done!"

"Okay!" I called out to her. And in no time at all, the both of them were gone.

And that means that I'm gonna have to shop for myself all alone now. In a mall with nine floors and many, many unfamiliar stores. Great. As if things couldn't get any more difficult.

I let out a sigh, before heading on my way.

-x-

I spent the next 10 or so minutes wandering around the mall trying to find out which stores have stuff that I'd need.

But Slater, did you check the mall directory first, I hear you ask? Well, that was the first place I went to. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make out the Japanese characters. And no, I didn't use my manga this time. I've decided to retire that thing as of today. It was high time that I bought myself a legit language guide. Also a cellphone. Gotta have a cellphone.

Since it wasn't ideal to wander about aimlessly, I stopped a nearby security guard and asked him where I can buy a cellphone. His answer was…. not at all what I was expecting.

The cell phone store was on the 6th floor. The 6th! Fucking! Floor! Why on God's green earth would you put a CELLPHONE STORE six floors up from the ground level? What were they thinking? Not wanting to scream my head off in public, instead I simply thanked the security guard and went off in search of the store.

I took the escalators up and began looking for the store.

"Let's see here." I said to myself as I walked. "He said that the store was the fourth store on the right, just where- Oh, is that it?"

I stopped walking, taking notice of what I thought was the cellphone store. The walls were gray, and there were what appeared to be display cases out in the open. I walked closer to get a better look. Was this- Oh! It is! There's a wooden sign out front with a phone on it. Yup! This is the place!

I quickly scurried into the store and found myself in front of one of the display cases. Those are definitely cell phones that I'm seeing, but something seems… off. I leaned in closer to see the image of the phone on the box. Was that a flip phone? They still fucking sell these things?

Looking throughout the case, I saw that they were all flip phones. I quickly moved on to the next display case, and what did I see? More flip phones. I went to the next display case, and wouldn't you know it? Flip phones!

Flip phones flip phones FLIP PHONES! Every single god damn phone in this store were flip phones! Did they sell out of smartphones, or was there some other store that sold smartphones? Unless there just happened to exist stores that exclusively sold flip phones, something was definitely amiss here. Just what is-

"Excuse me sir?" Someone called out to me from behind, causing me to nearly jump. I slowly turned around and saw a girl in a uniform looking at me with a smile; obviously an employee. "Is there something you need help with?"

I shook my head, snapping myself out of my shock. "Uh, yes. Actually, I've got a question to ask." I said. "Do you have any smart phones in stock?" As I asked that, the girl's face turned into a look of confusion.

"Smart….. phones?" She asked.

"You know-" I said. "-the phones with the touch screens built-in? Rectangular?" I gesticulated a rectangle with my hands. "All the apps you can use? Do you have those kinds of phones in stock?"

After thinking it over for a moment, the girl shook her head. "I'm afraid we don't have these smart phones you speak of in stock. As a matter of fact, I've never heard of those kinds of phones."

Are… Are you serious? Like seriously, are you pulling my leg right now? Is it April Fool's Day? Because this sounds like an April Fool's Day prank! There is absolutely no way – no fucking way – that this person has not seen a smartphone, let alone used one before. This is Academy City for crying out loud! Smartphones should be in abundance here! How can there not be-

"Um, sir?" the girl asked, intruding into my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Okay, I'll put this on the back burner for now. "Yeah, I'm alright. I guess I mistook the kind of phone I heard about for something else." I laughed nervously while rubbing the back of my head. Man, I should not be feeling embarrassed about this.

The girl just smiled back at me. "It's no problem at all sir! Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yeah," I began. "What's the best phone you've got in this place?"

-x-

So after much deliberation, I finally settled on a phone. It wasn't anything fancy, it was just a gray-colored flip phone, more specifically a Motorola RAZR V3. Man, this is like middle school all over again. Regardless, I couldn't help but feel absolutely baffled that that store only sold flip phones. How can Academy City make all this cool technology and NOT have smartphones? That was weird enough on its own, but you know what was even more surprising? You see, when that employee girl was telling me about my phone, I asked her what year it was. You wanna know what she told me?

She said it was a 2004 model, like most of the other phones in that store, and that it was their most recent model. Their most recent model! And sure enough, it didn't take me long to put two and two together.

So the world of Index takes place in the year 2004? I don't think the year in which the series takes place was ever mentioned in the anime. I mean I knew that the story took place in the 21st century, and sure, I knew that the original light novels started in that same year, and the first season of Index was released…. when was it? 2008 I think? Up until now, I always thought that Index took place 20 or so years in the future, like around the year it was back home. I didn't think that it would take place during the exact year it came out. Hearing that was….. disconcerting to say the least.

You know what this means right? I didn't just jump to another world; I jumped through time as well. So now I'm both a dimensional traveler AND a time traveler on top of that? Just when things couldn't get more complicated.

I just looked at my "new" phone for another moment before sighing and putting it in my pocket. I guess beggars can't be choosers; I got a phone, so that should be enough for me.

Anyway, I don't have time to stand here playing 20 questions; I need to figure out just what else to buy. Just what else- Oh yeah! A wallet! I need one of those! Can't just keep a whole bunch of bills crumpled up in my pocket. Gotta get a wallet! And that language guide too!

But where to look? Hmm? Guess I better find someone to ask again.

-x-

After an hour or so of wandering through the mall buying as much shit as I could carry, I found myself sitting down at one of the tables outside to take a break; I even grabbed a little something to eat and drink. God am I beat! I must've walked over 50 miles just from all that shopping. Of course I'm exaggerating, but I'm so tired right now that I didn't care about the actual amount of distance that I walked.

In any case, I think now would be a good time to catalog all the stuff I bought. I pushed my food and drink aside to put everything on the table, where I started sorting out everything.

So far I've got: a cellphone, a baseball bat, a backpack to carry my stuff, a reusable water bottle, one of those Swiss army knives just in case, a wallet, a toothbrush with toothpaste, a baseball cap, a small pillow to rest my head, some new sneakers, a change of clothes, and believe it or not, an actual Japanese language guide! Shuna's clothes may be comfortable, but I've been wearing the same outfit for days, and as far as I remember, I don't think I've washed them. Plus I only bought one change of clothes because 1). I didn't want to spend too much money, and 2). I needed to make room in my backpack. The clothes I bought weren't too expensive, and they weren't anything major; just a T-shirt and jeans. And yes, I made sure to buy a few new pairs of underwear and socks. Don't you worry about that. All in all, I spent…. how much for everything? Maybe 20,000 yen or somewhere close to it? Maybe? Well, at least I still had plenty of money left over.

Speaking of which, on a whim, I decided to get one of my 1000 yen bills out of my wallet just so I can take a closer look at them. All this spending and I never even noticed how… weird this bill looks. Some time ago, a friend of mine in the navy was stationed in Japan for a while. When he came back, he gave me a 1000 yen bill as a souvenir. It was cool! But the bill I'm holding right now looks so different than the one he gave me. The coloring, the design, even the face on the front of the bill looked different. Does this mean that….. Nah, it's probably nothing. I just put the bill back in my wallet.

Not long after, I quickly stashed the rest of my stuff away in my backpack. It was fairly big and roomy; plus the weight of my belongings weren't an issue. I was used to carrying a lot of shit in my backpack back in high school and college. I placed the backpack down by my feet. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait for.

I got my phone out of my pocket to check the time. Right now, it was….. 17:50? What? Isn't this the 24-hour format? Why is that the default setting for my phone's clock? I wish I can change the settings right now, but the menus are in Japanese. Gonna need Misaka to help me with that one. Regardless though, I'd like to know what time it was. I looked up at the sun setting in the distance; the sky itself was a nice shade of orange and red. It was beautiful.

I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket. Man, what should I do to pass time before Misaka and Kuroko show up? I thought about it for a minute, and you know what? I think now would be a good time to try and go over those questions that have been floating around in my head all day.

First off, I'd like to know just when in the Index timeline I landed in. I already know the year when the series takes place, but I don't know what events have taken place or have yet to take place. Earlier, I saw both Touma and Index, so obviously I'm at a point sometime after they met, but what other hints did I catch? Hmmmmmmm…. Oh! I know! Back at the café, while Misaka and Kuroko were arguing, I think I heard the latter mention the word 'troglodyte' – which obviously refers to Touma – so Kuroko's met Touma already. And when did that happen again? Oh yeah! It was during that arc with Accelerator right? That took place during the first season, so did I land somewhere after Accelerator was defeated?

I'm not sure. Come to think of it, I haven't come across any of Misaka's Sisters; a.k.a her many, many clones. I know that more than a thousand of the Sisters were killed by Accelerator for the Level 6 Shift project, and in the aftermath there were still some Sisters who survived, but I haven't seen any of them. Maybe they only go around the city at select times and places? I don't know. And I don't have any other hints to help me figure this out.

There's also Touma's encounters with people from the Magic Side - a.k.a. the faction that directly opposes the Science Side - to take into account as well. I completely forgot about them. I know that Index is from the Magic Side, as well as others like Stiyl, that magician who uses fire magic, and Kanzaki, the swordswoman, but who else shows up in Academy City during this time? I can't remember.

Still though, would I even be able to tell if an incident caused by the Magic Side took place? It would've been mentioned on the news, but since this is Academy City, they most likely would've covered it up with some bullshit story about how the perpetrators were espers. It wouldn't make sense for the Science Side to actively confirm the existence of magic, as well as sorcerers, spells, and the like.

Arrgh! So much shit that could've happened, yet so little to actually go on! This was so frustrating that I pressed my hands against my head, as if to stop it from bursting from the stress.

"What's gotten you so upset Slater?" A familiar voice spoke from right behind me. I turned around and saw Misaka, who was carrying a few shopping bags and a drink in hand. Curiously, Kuroko was not with her.

"Oh, hey Misaka." I greeted her, trying to play it cool. "I see you've been busy. Where'd Kuroko go?"

"Oh, she's in line right now buying us some ice cream." Misaka replied as she sat down in the seat across from me, putting her bags on the ground. "The line was pretty long though, so she might be a while." I'm just gonna save myself the disappointment by assuming that Kuroko's only getting ice cream for her and Misaka. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised.

"Oh, I see." I said, plain and simply. Anything to keep Kuroko away from me for just a little while longer.

"So how did you make out with your shopping? I see that you were also busy." Misaka said as she eyed my crammed backpack.

"Oh that?" I began, pulling up my backpack to the table. "Well, if I can put aside the fact that I must've been up and down the mall a dozen times over, I made out alright. I've got a few essential things, and I still have plenty of money to spare."

"I see." Misaka replied as she took a sip of her drink. "So what's with the bat?" She pointed to my bat sticking out of the backpack.

"It's a weapon." I replied. Misaka raised an eyebrow. "Just a little something to defend myself with."

"But why though?" Misaka asked in confusion.

"Because, after everything that happened today, no way in hell am I wandering the streets without some kind of protection. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing. If someone tries to start shit with me again, I'm not gonna go down so easily! With this, I'll be able to hit a homerun and then some!" I boasted.

"There's just one problem with that though." Misaka began to point out. "Not every gang of thugs are the exact same. You were lucky those idiots I fried earlier didn't appear to have any esper powers. Next time though, it might be different. If you get yourself cornered by a gang of espers, then it won't matter what skills or weapons you might have. You're just a normal person. That bat won't do you a whole lot of good against someone with say, psychokinesis as their power."

"B-but, Misaka-"

"No buts!" Misaka interrupted before I could defend myself. "You could get seriously hurt or worse! You couldn't even escape from those idiots, let alone defend yourself from them. If I hadn't been there that time, you would've been screwed! What makes you think that arming yourself will give you a better chance the next time around?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't find any words to say. Damn it! Just… does Misaka even understand what I've been through? Do you think I wanted to get beaten up by thugs? What's wrong with having a means to defend myself the next time it happens? I can't rely on Misaka to be my bodyguard forever, so I just… I mean, I get what she's saying, but….. but…..

"But-" I suddenly spoke my thoughts aloud, banging the table with both my hands. Even if Misaka has a point, something needs to be said here. "But what am I supposed to do then? Just stand there and let them beat me like a sandbag? I have no powers. And I don't know any other way to fight. I'm a weakling, so this is all I can do. Have….." I trailed off for a bit. "Have you ever known what it was like to be weak?"

As I asked that, Misaka cast a downward gaze toward the table, contemplating my words. I just now noticed that during my tirade, she was quiet the whole time; never making an attempt to interrupt me. After a few minutes, Misaka looked back at me, ready to give me her answer.

"Yes, I do know what it's like-" Misaka began. "-because I used to be weak myself."

Wha- What did she just- Did she really just say what I think she just said?

"I wasn't always the kind of esper that I am now." Misaka continued, leaning back into her chair. "I was just an ordinary Level 1 when I first got my powers. For the longest time, I was weak, so weak in fact, that my electric shocks were only as powerful as the jolts you'd get if you rubbed your feet against a carpet and touched a metal doorknob."

"But I knew that I couldn't be weak forever. I didn't want to be a burden, so I took it upon myself to get stronger. It took a lot of time and effort, but I slowly got the hang of my abilities, and eventually, I worked my way up to the rank of Level 5. Because of my resolve, I now have the strength to protect the people I care about." She clenched her hand into a fist. "I understand why you feel the need to get stronger Slater, and that's admirable in many respects, but you're just an ordinary guy in a city full of espers. You can only do so much. If something were to happen to you, what would your friends think? Or your family? There's not much point in getting stronger if you wind up hospitalized in the process, or worse, killed. You know what I mean?"

I looked down at the table, unable to say anything. Misaka was right. I knew she was right; so right that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of any way to retaliate without coming off as a fool. Deep down, I knew the risks. I knew it would be dangerous. But did I really understand what my actions could've possibly led to? After silently listening to Misaka's reasoning, no, I didn't. I damn well didn't.

I've never gotten into a fight in my life. Even when I knew karate, I never used it to fight anyone or defend myself. I took it up because I thought it was cool; I was never that serious about it. Naturally, after I lost interest and quit, my karate skills took a nosedive to the point where I could no longer remember the moves and such. And now look at me; I'm slow and out of shape. Even with the bat, I probably could get in a lucky swing or two before I'd be overwhelmed, whether it be my stamina running out or being downed by a powerful blow.

This just…. sucks.

"I'm sorry." I said at last. "You're absolutely right Misaka. I….. was a bit too hasty." My eyes drifted down to the table again. "I'm not going to be getting into fights or anything. I got the bat so I could feel safe. I really don't want to use it, but I know that what happened to me before won't be the last time. I just want to be prepare myself, you know? I'm….. kind of paranoid when it comes to potential bad things happening."

I twiddled my thumbs together, waiting for Misaka to reply. I wonder what she has to say?

"It's okay Slater," Misaka said. "Wanting to protect yourself is nothing to be ashamed of. I just wanted you to understand the dangers involved, that's all. And don't worry about being scared, I'll keep you safe. Just leave everything to me, okay?" She gave me a thumbs-up.

"Okay. I promise I won't do anything rash." I replied.

"That's what I like to hear!" Misaka cracked a smile. I returned the smile in kind.

"So," I began. "How much longer do you think Kuroko will-"

*BOOM*

"W-who-whoa!" I nearly tumbled out of my seat. "What the hell was that?"

I quickly stood myself up and looked around. In the distance, there was smoke billowing some distance away. And the screams of panicked civilians filled the air almost immediately. Didn't this shit already happen earlier today?

"It sounded like an explosion. But where did it-"

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko suddenly teleported to our location, interrupting Misaka. There was no ice cream in hand, for obvious reasons.

"Kuroko!" Misaka spoke up. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm heading to the scene of the explosion right now. You need to take that friend of yours and get out of here." Kuroko stated in a serious tone. Is it me, or did she put a little more emphasis on the word 'friend?' Ugh! Just my-

"Slater!" Misaka spoke up to me. I quickly stood in attention. "Come on! I'll get you to safety!"

"R-Right!" I replied plain and simply. I grabbed my backpack full of stuff and put it on.

"Kuroko, you be careful, okay?" Misaka said.

"I'll be fine Onee-sama," Kuroko said with a tender smile. "I'm a member of Judgement after all."

And not long afterwards, Kuroko took a leap and teleported some distance away, before quickly making a series of teleports until she was no longer in sight. And just like that, me and Misaka quickly vacated the area.

Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any crazier!