AN: Hello readers!
I have done it again and have used unknown forces to write out this chapter as quickly as I did most likely due to what I said in the last chapter as I'm looking forward to these events which you'll see as to why from where it ends.
I will not go much further into that as the main parts of the events that transpires will be seen within the next chapter where the 20th should conclude at some point to go into what happens on the 21st (which shouldn't last all that long as Chapter 28 or 29 will most likely move to major events that will happen on the 22nd)
*This is all speculation on my part of course since the chapter has yet to be written as always, so you may take it with a grain of salt as my plans could change:)*
Anyway, that's all I got today (other than thanks for getting this story to reach 91 reviews, with the 100 mark making its approach:`)
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
As always, please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:)
Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:
1. My characters and
2. my ideas
Chapter 26: Does Your Level Really Matter That Much To You?
July 20th, 5:30PM
Outside of Joseph's Coffee & Restaurant
After recovering from their flustered stupors and deliberating further on the matters regarding the Level Upper and the comatose espers, the group walked out the doors of the restaurant to be welcomed to the warm colored skies from the sun beginning to fall down the horizon.
Kiyama stood a little ways away from them as Uiharu and Shirai stood in front of Misaka, Asher, and Saten, saying their farewells to the older woman who had spent her time with them most of the day.
"I know you're busy, so thank you for giving us this information." Shirai said as Kiyama nodded her head in reply.
"No…I thank you. Spending my time with all of you today reminded me of the days of when I used to be a teacher. I found it enjoyable."
"Oh, I didn't realize that you were a teacher before." Shirai said in surprise.
A faraway look seemed to fall in Kiyama's eyes as if she was reminiscing over something for a few moments.
"I was once..." She said after a while before she turned to leave. "Goodbye."
After waving goodbye to her as she got out of view, Shirai said, "I don't really have all that much to say. She's a little different, isn't she?"
As Uiharu added onto that thought, Asher and Misaka saw Saten escape from behind them as she took off to run somewhere without vocalizing a goodbye or where she was even going.
This sent some alarms into Misaka's head while the ones in Asher's head rang even louder as they both looked at the girl's back skeptically as she ran out of view.
Ever since she had brought out that music player from before, Asher noticed that she was…different in some way as if something was off about her. She couldn't pinpoint why she felt like this or why it was making something creep in her chest that she had a hard time describing. All she knew was that she just didn't like it, especially in regards to the usually bubbly personality Saten had that seemed to light up any room she was in and noticed that she tried her best to uplift Asher any way she could about as much as Misaka does any given day.
She had grown to like it to some extent in the short time she had known her, much to her surprise since her acts always made her face heat up without her telling it to.
But for some reason during that extended period of time from before, it was just missing all of the sudden that contrasted with the analysis or depiction Asher had her character as.
Emotions and feelings may not come easy to her still at her current age, but she had made up for it by analyzing the way people act at times, creating an overall picture and speculating how they act in most situations. It didn't always work to give her understanding towards people as she still had a hard time connecting with others or accurately knowing what they may do at times, but it was enough that she was trying and that it allowed her to know when something was off from the norm for catching the small details that most might not see at times.
Even though she wasn't as on edge as she was, Misaka could tell that something was wrong with Saten as well. Enough that she even noticed that Asher had probably noticed it before she did, looking over at her as a general understanding fell into their eyes as they both nodded at each other.
They began to run off to where Saten was simultaneously, which Uiharu and Shirai were unaware of as the teleporter continued to talk to the girls that had formerly been behind them.
"Okay guys, we're all ready to head back to the branch then ye-Huh?" Shirai stated before she paused from seeing the empty pavement behind her, causing her face to fall in confusion.
"Where did Sissy and Zierdan go?"
Saten had ran off almost in a full sprint before she gradually slowed down to a jog, keeping her music player that contained the track of the Level Upper firmly within her grasp.
I….don't want to give this up. I c-can't…I can't bring myself to do something like that, she thought to herself, biting down on the side of her cheek.
It's not like I've used it yet. Meaning I don't have to tell anyone about it. Meaning I can't be persecuted for it as Shirai and Misaka say that I can.
I can't be arrested or caught, because nobody kn-knows I have it…
So, I don't h-have to tell anyone about this!
She ran up to a pillar connected to the bridge above her, putting her back against it as she felt her heart nearly beating out of her chest.
She came so close…
So…so desperately close in telling the others about what she had found that basically confirmed the Level Upper as a real thing and a possible threat…
But at the same time, its reveal made her dream of gaining the power to protect and help her friends almost a reality, which she noticed that there could be a chance that could be taken swiftly from her if she didn't go about this the right way.
She can't tell them.
Any of them, including the one who she felt might understand her feeling of worthlessness the most, because she would probably not understand her when it comes to the incessant wanting of power to help when she already has it in her grasp as the 5th Ranked Level 5 known as GravShift within Academy City.
"I worked so hard to find this." She said with a solemn smile on her face, not noticing the arrivals of Misaka and Asher off to the side of her.
"Are you okay?" Misaka asked.
Saten looked over in shock and surprise of seeing both of the Level 5 espers there, seeing notable amounts of worry in both of their eyes, even Asher's as it seemed her stoicness was nearly put on the backburner just for this.
"Mi-Misaka? Asher? Why are you bo-"
"Do you really have to ask that?" Asher sighed as she placed a hand behind her neck, looking off to the side as they both continued to walk forward.
"You disappeared so suddenly. So we were a little worried about you." Misaka added with a smile as they came to a stop, watching on as Saten walked away from the pillar she had just been standing against.
"Oh…It's nothing really." Saten stated simply.
It wasn't enough to hide the amount of hesitation and anxiousness in her voice, something that both Level 5's picked up on quickly but made no indication of it.
"Are you sure?" Misaka pressed gently.
"Oh um…well. It's just that it seems everyone is involved in this case other than me." Saten with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, trying her best to still keep the music player hidden as she put it into her pocket.
"I'm not Judgment or anything…" She continued, before noticing that something fell off her person as Asher walked over to pick it up and hand it over to her.
"Aw thanks. You didn't have to do that for me Asher." She remarked, seeing the inklings of a blush come on the esper's face before she turned away.
"You've always had that hanging from your bag." Misaka commented, hearing Saten let out a few laughs from her breath.
"Yeah…I guess I do seem to."
"Is it from someone you know?" Asher questioned as interest seemed to shine in her eyes as Saten held it into their view, seeing that it read "Good Luck Charm" on its front and back.
"My mom actually gave it to me." Saten replied as she held it up higher in the air, missing something flash in Asher's eyes before it went away just as quickly as it came.
"I know it must seem silly to the both of you. It's not like good luck charms are scientific in any way." She continued as her face fell slightly.
Misaka caught Asher tense up in some way out of the corner of her eye for a few moments before hearing Saten talk aloud again.
"At the end of the day, she's just superstitious." She stated as the smile quickly returned on her face. "But it's not like something like this can protect me, right? And it's not like magic is real, so it can't be that either."
"It sounds like your mom seems really nice. She seems to care about you in that way with the charm she gave you, right?" Misaka remarked.
It was almost like Asher had lost the will or nerve to speak anymore in that last moment, only sending Saten a nod as she looked back at the both of them with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, she's a good mom." Saten said after a while as she turned her back on them.
She paused, hesitating to say anything else before turning back around with the look of some kind of hope located within her eyes.
"But even with that, I just feel like at times that I'm not living up to expectations." She said as her head fell towards the ground to avoid looking at them. "It's been all this time and…I'm just…still only a Level 0."
Why is she like this? Asher thought to herself, feeling her mood worsening as time went on as she rubbed her neck even faster to shake off this feeling that she just wanted to leave her.
Due to Asher being a little bit behind her, Misaka hadn't noticed it at all as she tipped her head over to the side from Saten's remark, feeling a little bit of confusion creep into her chest as she began to say something that she didn't know would hit Saten in the way that it had.
"Aw Saten," she began with amuse in her voice. "Does your level really matter that much to you?"
A deafening silence fell between all of them as Saten's hand began to shake at her side before she slowly clasped it into a fist, releasing a small breath as she brought her face up to show off a smile she had grown used to showing.
"No…it doesn't." Saten said after a while, trying her best to keep her voice from shaking as she felt something possibly break inside of her. "You're right, Misaka. I shouldn't let my Level get to me that way because…It doesn't matter."
It doesn't matter to anyone. She said internally, putting more into those thoughts than her own words that had just came out unwillfully from her mouth.
A little while later...
Misaka and Asher were walking back towards Joseph's to meet back up with Shirai before the latter came to a stop as she looked back the way they had just came from.
She felt like kicking herself from not being able to get the nerve or know what to say to Saten…
For years, Misaka had always been the one among the both of them when it came to that as she usually stood in the background and intently listened to whatever was being said to her or whatever was going on around her.
She didn't feel cut out for helping someone emotionally in that sense, always relying on Misaka for that as she always thought she had the best judgment when it came to these types of situations and followed her lead.
But…for probably the first time ever…
She felt that the Electromaster had said something wrong unknowingly as Saten just seemed to be worse than when they had come to her before, constantly running a loop in her head on the words that Misaka had said to her.
["Does your level really matter that much to you?"]
After a couple moments of thinking of that, she released a sigh under her breath, looking over at the Electromaster who had still been walking as she didn't notice that she had stopped when she had.
"Hey, um Mikoto." Asher said aloud as Misaka stopped in her tracks and looked back behind her in surprise.
"Oh! I'm sorry if I was walking too fast for you. Do you need to take a rest from your back starting to hurt again?" She asked in concern.
Misaka hadn't tried talking to her in the last few moments, because it honestly didn't seem like she was in such a great mood to speak to her, knowing from experience to not press too much when she got like this to this extent.
She had thought on what could have been the cause of it after a while, before continuously falling back to what she had seen when Saten had mentioned her mother.
Asher's mother was such a sensitive topic for her to even talk to her about, knowing it was at the center of a lot of her grief almost as much as the damage done to her during the experiment was.
It made her wonder if when Saten talked and reminisced about her mother, did it cause Asher indirectly to think about her own for a split second, trying her best to push back the urge to pry as that was an area even Misaka still had limited access to.
"No you weren't walking too fast for me at all…I just…" Asher said hesitantly before pausing, reinforcing her resolve as she clenched harder on the back of her neck as her body and mind were nearly screaming at her to not go out of her comfort zone to do what she was thinking.
"There's something I think I have to go and do real quick…"
Even as the sun set further and further down the sky, Saten remained in the same spot that she was in before, sliding down to the ground as she laid her head between her knees.
Her body was trembling ever so slightly as she forced herself not to do what her eyes wanted her to do, hearing a solemn laugh come from her own lips as she huddled further in on herself.
She sat there in silence for a long while, before she heard footsteps walk up from the side of her, instantly wiping what was threatening to fall further down her face as she looked away from who she thought was there.
"You came back to talk again Misaka?" Saten said with a smile on her face. "I'm not really in the mood for it now. And it's starting to get late so-"
"I'm not a huge fan of what you're continuously doing right now Saten. It's really starting to make me feel some sort of way…"
Saten stiffened in surprise as she looked over and saw the usual stoic esper herself still actually showing some type of emotion on her face as well as in her voice, filling up with surprise even more when she had just realized what was said to her.
"What do you mean by that Asher?" Saten said with smile as Asher's face seemed to darken ever so slightly. "I don't think I've done anything weird today have I?"
"No you haven't. You've been fairly logical this entire day as I've seen barely any illogical behavior from you." Asher said aloud as she crossed her arms.
"So then you have nothing to worry about." Saten concluded for her as she rose up to her feet and dusted herself off, attempting to move past Asher before she felt a soft but also firm hand clench her arm.
She looked over at her in surprise from this rare kind of ccontact as she had never willfully touched her like this at any capacity, as she herself had always been the one to instigate close contact between them like the others.
So why was she doing this now?
"Now that's not right. As I sh-should…worry any way." Asher said shakily, trying her best to not let her nerves get the best of her. "Especially for the fact that we just came to a consensus on. The Saten I've come to know does more things of the illogical sort…. which is…something I h-haven't really seen today. Um…especially towards myself as I haven't gotten the usual teasing from you at any capacity."
Saten was taken aback from hearing that as Asher slowly let go of her, stuffing her trembling hands in her pockets as she had the hardest time looking directly at her.
"Oh is it just that?" Saten questioned. "Well, sorry. I thought I would go and give you a break from that today."
"Again, that's incorrect. It doesn't make logical sense for why that's the case as I know you wouldn't care if I vocalized that…mostly because you would know I was lying if I said otherwise." Asher said as her expression fell on her face. "I may in all ways…not do well when it comes to emotions…but I'm not stupid or too naïve to keep falling for the small lies you keep saying to us. Always just saying what we want to hear versus what you actually want to do. Especially when it comes…"
"To that music player you keep trying to hide that's currently in your pocket..."
Saten's eyes widened as she felt herself take a small step back out of almost instinct, not realizing the fact that she was actually paying attention when she had brought it out before.
Wait she saw that? D-Does she know that I have the-!? She thought in a panic that Asher didn't see from not looking directly at her as she released a sigh under her breath.
"I don't know what's so important about it. But I just…have a bad feeling from the energy you've wasted to just not let us know you have it. I won't pry now. But if I have to, I will if whatever this is progresses." Asher finished.
Saten practically deflated in relief from hearing that, knowing now that Asher didn't know the specifics of the Level Upper track being located on her music player.
A silence fell between them for a while before a question that had been said from another esper popped into Saten's head to say.
"Hey, Asher." Saten began, seeing Asher's blue eyes come over to look at her. "Does your level matter to you at all?"
Asher's eyes widened for a brief second before her hand instinctively came to rub the back of her neck, sighing aloud from not being surprised of that question being asked of her.
"Do you really want to know my answer to that?" Asher questioned almost meekly as her stoic face began to crumble ever so slightly. "You're either not going to be surprised, making me waste energy in explaining it to you. Or just…it'll change your perception of me in some way from hearing how I feel about that, which i-is something I want to avoid…as you'll probably…"
She trailed off after that as Saten was able to complete the phrase by herself without her having to, already moving into action as she waved her hands in front of her.
"Asher, this won't change anything between us. Really, I probably couldn't dislike you even if tried my hardest to." She reassured. "Who would I be able to come to find the deeper meaning of things that no one else probably could?"
A massive blush came on Asher face from hearing that, completely lost on what she should even say to the extent that she had forgotten the question Saten asked her.
Saten laughed after she had asked to repeat it for her, releasing a sigh to settle her nerves as she walked over to lightly sit her back against the pillar off to the side from them.
"Before and after a certain time, I would most likely give you the same answer of yes but for different reasons. They're some days I find myself liking my Level. While they're other times I find myself wishing I was never a Level 5 or even an esper to begin with. Sometimes envying Level 1's and 0's at times as they always seem to be able to live without their ability being connected to how they should be seen by others…as I have for most of my life…."
Surprise filled Saten's face for a time as Asher continued on.
"Unlike MK who started off as a Level 1, I started off as a Level 4 right from the gate after doing the Power Curriculum program when I was 5 years old if I remember correctly. My ability, Gravity Dimensional Shift, was immediately sought after by nearly every research division in the city because of its rarity and along with the fact that I was established as a child prodigy around that time as well. I…didn't feel normal in that sense. I always felt like an outcast and never tried to connect with others, as I was repeatedly told that no one wanted to do it in return because of my ability that others perceived as dangerous and the part of my personality that prevents me from being able to understand people as well as I should…."
"I grew…to hate myself and my ability during that time. And disliked others in the same sense as they never seemed to want to care that I was alone, and I d-didn't want to be but…didn't know how to vocalize it to others. People never paused to acknowledge my humanity just for the fact that my level intimidated them. Something that I guess has changed in some way now with you, Uiharu, and Kuroko even with me being a Level 5, but still continues in some form even for the one person I feel doesn't deserve it or meant what she said to you in the sense that you're most likely thinking about in regards to this question given by her."
Saten flinched from hearing that as her face became more downcast, gripping onto her arm nervously as this conversation gradually became more uncomfortable for the both of them to endure from laying out things on the table they would usually keep hidden within themselves.
"Oh, you're talking about Mi-Misaka, aren't you?" Saten said after a while.
"MK is different than I am. Always has. We're polar opposites to the point that most see our relationship as illogical, especially during the time we were in grade school when she still was a lower level than I was for the longest time and only had me as her friend." Asher said as she rose up from the pillar she was laying against. "She probably knows the struggles people with low levels have as she was one herself, which is something I don't personally have any experience in meaning I logically can't speak meaningfully about it. She sees her level as a hurdle that she has gotten over because of that, not something that completely binds her as a person like I do at times. Which is why I think she said that without any regard to how that made you feel, most likely from it being second nature to her…"
"She's kind…one of the kindest people I've met within my life. She wouldn't want one of her friends to feel obsolete even if you got on her nerves cause that's just the kind of person she is." Asher continued as she scratched the back of her head and looked away from Saten's shocked expression. "I just…wanted to apologize on her part for that. Her pride can blind her at times, so she'll say things like that without meaning to. Without meaning to be hurtful."
After finishing off with that point, Asher was about to go on to say something else before the words were caught in her mouth, feeling herself on the brink of doing something that just came to her all of the sudden that she didn't want Saten to have to deal with.
"Um, sorry to cut this short bu-but…excuse me I have to go." She said out of the blue as she just began to walk away, leaving Saten behind who was shocked when she tried to leave so suddenly.
Her eyes came across something twinkling in the immediate area that Asher had been standing in, running off to hug the esper from behind without any hesitation as she felt her trembling in her embrace, hearing her take in a shaky breath in response.
"It must've been hard saying that to someone like me so causally and openly. You're not one to wear your emotions on your sleeve, so I find it surprising that you did this intervention of sorts for my sake." Saten said as she leaned further into the esper's back. "Talking about the past…your hardships, insecurities, and regrets…it must hurt to say them aloud like this when you aren't used to, isn't it?"
"I'm f-fine. You shouldn't…you don't n-need to worry about me Saten." Asher replied, trying to keep her voice steady but completely failed at doing so. "I ju-just…I um just….didn't want this to happen in front of you, when it was my goal for you to be focused on and not me for o-once."
After a few moments, Saten gradually turned Asher around to see her face which the esper automatically covered with her arm, though wasn't able to fully cover the act as some tears were still able to slip through the cracks.
"What's wrong Asher?" Saten asked in concern, watching on as she vigorously tried to wipe the unwanted tears away.
"Damn it, I d-don't…know why…but I was just overwhelmed…an-and felt ashamed I guess that I suck at this. Suck at trying to help others em-emotionally." Asher explained tearfully. " Tch, I was just trying to do what you, Mikoto, and hell what the rest of you guys do for me…a-and it's so hard be-because I never know what to say or…i-if what I say is the right thing t-to say and feel so…So freaking uncomfortable and just wa-want to not be…"
"All I'm good for it seems is my intelligence people s-say I have and my Level even though some people seem to hate me for having it at times, because their scared…paranoid…and af-afraid that I'm going to use it on one of them, wh-when I can barely use it on my-myself or more than the minimum i-in most situations. Even my system sc-scans reflect that to this day, because I can never br-bring myself to ac-actually commit to us-using a semblance of my full power un-unless I really have to…Probably always just skirting by to be ruled as a Level 5…o-or they know I do that since th-they figured it out when I was younger…"
"And now…here I am ac-acting so freaking selfish and illogical by cr-crying for no reason at all in front of the person…w-who I was trying to help but instead probably feels in-inclined to help me instead now and ignore herself from seeing me as more significant..wh-when I'm n-not." Asher finished.
It wasn't too long before Saten rose her hand to grab onto Asher's arm to bring it down and show the upper half of her face, staring back at blue eyes that bore the upmost amount of shyness and anxiousness that she had always seemed to bring out in her somehow.
Asher's eyes widened slightly from actually seeing a real smile on Saten's face, hearing her laugh a little under her breath as she wrapped her arms around her for the second hug she had given her today.
"Now look at the logical person being the illogical one right now. You actually did great Asher, so you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's natural for anyone to be nervous from going out of their comfort zone like you have. I appreciate and keep seeing how much of a kind and caring person you are, even though you're probably too shy to admit it at times." Saten said aloud as the girl in her hold remained silent. "You're not a selfish person at all as feelings are an enigma to probably each and every one of us so no one can fully explain why they're there or happen. As I said before, I know it was hard for you to open up to me before and even now, but I know it'll get easier if you'd just allow yourself to look to those around you versus keeping what you're feeling to protect us from the turmoil you always seem to have at times."
I know….I know I'm being hypocritical right now, Saten thought to herself as she tightened her hold around Asher, feeling her slowly but surely reciprocate it as she laid her forehead on her shoulder.
But she doesn't need me to put any more on the plate that she already has…
Asher, one of the shyest and emotionally distant people I've ever met in my life, went out of her way to cheer me up, even though I could tell and know now that it was really hard for her to do and talk about her past that she still probably hasn't even scraped the surface of yet…
She believes that out of her and Misaka, Misaka is the kind and social one out of the both of them who's better at doing things like this…which probably holds her back from trying something she thinks she's bad at…
Saten felt the music player in her pocket grow heavier as her resolve wavered for a few seconds before it seemed to strengthen even further towards…
Using the Level Upper versus telling Asher about it right here and now.
Emotional support…
I'd say it's something I'm good at and seem to be actually needed for at times but…
What happens if there's a day where Asher, Misaka, Shirai, and Uiharu need me to be there in terms of power to save them?
Unlike Asher, I can't do the opposite of what I'm good for, because I'm a Level 0…meaning I will still be the one who needs to get out of the way…from being essentially insignificant and powerless.
I c-can…
I can still be here like this along with having the power to save them and defend myself if I just get the nerve to actually use this thing…
I could still be here and have moments like these when I…I-If I…
If I use the Level Upper for myself to gain it, right?
A few hours later…
Somewhere within the 7th District
Kamijou was causally walking back to his dorm after his remedial class had ran long that day. There were a ton of unfortunate events that had occurred out of his control, which almost led to his day being any ordinary day from the number of things that had occurred.
He had stepped on and broke his phone this morning, ran out of food in his fridge after it had gone bad from it spoiling due to the power mysteriously going out last night, and was attacked by a trigger happy esper out of the blue when she had somehow caught him out in the open like he had been.
Things like this didn't surprise him anymore, but at the same time it was still something to blame his rotten luck for.
But there was one thing that had happened uniquely today, that had changed his routine just a bit…
He had found a girl hanging off of his balcony who he perceived to be some type of sister at first from the clothes she wears known by the name of Index Librorum Prohibitorum. She was of the peculiar sort considering the first thing she had said to him related to the idea of food, which he made for her using the spoiled scarps within his dorm.
That wasn't even the weirdest part of this though because…
She revealed to him that she had been where he had found her because she was trying her best to get away from a Sorcery Society because of books called grimoires located inside of her that they want to gain for themselves.
He had been skeptical about this idea of sorcery or magic from being the exact opposite of the scientific life he had lived within Academy City thus far. But there was a part of him that was curious and wanted to believe that something like that was around due to his right hand holding a power about as inexplicable as the idea of magic.
His suspicions sort of grew in her favor when he had destroyed and canceled out the supernatural powers held in her robes known to be the "Walking Church," something foretold to be able to protect her from any harm.
He didn't have much time to spend going over this seemingly far out concept for much longer due to having to go to his remedial class, as well from the fact that she decided to leave versus stay within his dorm in an effort to keep him safe.
With the words she had left him with still playing through his head…
"Come now…Do you really wanna be dragged down the depths of hell with me?"
I never got the chance to figure out why she would say that about herself… he thought as he walked into the elevator, letting out a sigh as he laid his back against the wall.
I'm starting to the think that maybe…I should do it more often, considering…she was also the same way before, but I just couldn't bring myself to ask her about it then from how sad she looked.
["As for your question, there are some reasons that I can think as of why people tend to avoid me, though I don't really want to go into them right now, as it involves something that I'm also still having a hard time remembering." Asher stated as she looked away from him as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Can we talk about something besides that?" She asked in a low voice. "I know I usually answer your questions the best I can, but I just can't bring myself to answer that one right now…."]
I wonder sometimes that maybe if I had pressed her to give more back then….
To tell me why she was hurting and didn't say anything about it…
Would she have ended up like she had been the other day?
["How dare you…HOW DARE YOU!" Asher said lowly. "Tch, I tried to be merciful and give you something you could understand from my life and know why I came as hard as I did towards you. But then go on and start calling me names…namesnamesnames!….That's all I used to hear at school until they got old with saying it: Calamity this and Calamity that from the mouths of people who don't want to choose to say my actual name when I have one. I don't understand….I d-don't understand it at a-all! They NEVER EXPLAIN IT TO ME! No one cares… No one. No One, No One, NO ONE CARES! NO EVER DOES!"]
She had grown so used to hearing Zapper that she cared about her…that she forgot that there were others that valued her just as she did…
I just wish…that I had done that sooner than I did to spare her from all that grief that hides within that stoic face of hers she puts up 99% of the time.
To see her smile…and laugh more as she did during the walks that I had with her after she had gotten used to me being around.
His grip tightened slightly on the bag that he was carrying at his side, before moving off the wall as the elevator doors opened up to his floor.
He walked out and turned the corner to go towards his room, before he stopped at the whirring of the cleaning robots that were oddly trying to clean something in front of his door.
His confusion was put on the backburner for some form of relief from recognizing that what they were trying to clean was Index who seemed to have fallen asleep to await for his arrival.
He smiled at that as he walked over to her, bending down as he was about to shake her awake.
"Hey Index, what are you doing out here?" He said with a smile.
His smile soon faded however as shock and horror came across it when he saw that his hand was coated in red when he touched her, seeing that the girl below him was severely injured and needed medical attention right away as she was bleeding profusely from one of her wounds.
"Oh nononono! Please just stay with me Index!" He shouted aloud as his voice was layered with panic. "What even happened to you!? Why are you here and who did this to you!? Please try and open your eyes and say something!"
It was at that point that someone who had been walking up near him made his presence known, looking down at him with a glint that Kamijou saw as menacing to some extent when he looked at him as he saw smoke rise from the cigarette located in his mouth.
"Oh that was us..." He simply said as the corners of his lips turned up into a smirk.
"As in sorcerers."
Kamijou's eyes widened even further at that, practically gaping at the newcomer as his day took another turn that he had never seen coming.
Tokiwadai Dormitory
Misaka was sitting on the roof of her dorm with her phone to her ear, dialing Asher for the fourth or fifth time that evening as she found a text to not be adequate enough to see how she actually was.
The last time she had seen her face to face was hours ago when she went to go talk to Saten by herself from thinking that she was having a hard time that she wouldn't tell the others about, which was something that she was glad to see from her best friend who avoided putting herself into certain social situations like that whenever she could.
But she was worried by the radio silence that had occurred between them for a while now, not even really hearing a single peep from the esper or what actually happened as she would only text vague one worded responses that implied that she couldn't talk or wanted to be alone.
"Come on please pick up this time…." She said under her breath, crossing her fingers as the line continuously rang and rang.
It nearly got to the point that the final ring was going to be over before she heard the line pick up, hearing her friend sigh on the other line as a silence fell between them for a time.
"Hey Z." Misaka said after a while when neither of them tried to talk.
"Hey Mikoto…I'm um sorry that I haven't been answering your calls. I…j-just needed some time to myself I guess." Asher responded.
Misaka could hear something within her voice that brought her own mood down a couple of notches, not even having to be in front of her to know that she had been crying for some reason or another before she picked up.
"No it's alright. We both tend to roam at this time of night at times so you're good…But are you actually okay? I can tell that you're upset for some reason or another."
A long drawn out sigh came out of Asher's mouth after a while, pausing for a few moments before she let out a response.
"Where should I even start…"
Asher went on to explain what was currently keeping her down, feeling as though she's useless involving any situation when it comes to emotions as her logic seemed just as useless to help her accurately explain them in an effort to care about uplifting others than just herself.
Misaka quietly listened to her and allowed her to let out everything about it before she spoke, not wanting something to be hidden from her unknowingly.
She knew she had always felt that way in some form or fashion even when she would question her on it, usually prompting her to deflect the issue as that was always her thing to do to avoid telling someone like her that something was wrong.
Misaka knows that Asher doesn't take notice in the fact that she does help people emotionally at times without even being aware of it herself, something she did so many times for her when she was trying to rise from a Level 1 to a Level 5 during their younger years in grade school up until now.
She had been a loner about as much as Asher had been during that time, lacking any true friends to call her own just as much as she had as well.
There was no one that she had felt could ever or wanted to ever understand what she was trying to achieve or how she was as a person on in the inside…
That is until she met Asher, the one girl on the opposite side of the spectrum from an outside perspective other than hers who already was on the cusp of a Level 5 during that time, but unlike her, wasn't being a loner purposefully as she didn't know how to connect with others all that well.
A lot of people at their grade school and even at Tokiwadai always tried to figure out how they were such the best of friends, blind to the fact that they were similar and had contrasting qualities that the other lacked to move almost as one person at times when they read each other so well.
After Asher had finished her explanation, Misaka voiced this and more to help her get the thoughts of being a bad person out of her head when Misaka and the rest of their group had never felt that way about her, hearing a relieved sigh on the other end when she had finished saying what she knew she needed to hear.
"Thanks for that Mikoto. It means a lot to hear that come from you." Asher sniffled before she laughed a little under her breath. "It sometimes amuses me now to think back to all those times I practiced with you to develop your ability. Especially the first time that our abilities canceled out each other."
"Oooh, yeah." Misaka laughed as she internally winced at the same time. "That was both a fun but painful thing considering neither of us had expected it. And considering we took out the entire electrical grid in the city for nearly half of week without meaning to."
"I remember that we skipped school for a couple of days in an effort that no one would figure out it was us. Using a cover by staying with Miss Misuzu who happened to be in the city at the time, before we were caught from the both of us being the only two who could leave traces of both EM waves and Gravitons at the scene….It wasn't a logical move on our part that's for sure. And that the Head Resident didn't find it the least bit funny."
They just talked like that for a long while, before it came to the point that Asher decided she was going to get off of the phone to go ahead and call Yomikawa about her current plan involving Silas.
"Are you sure that you want to do this, Z?" Misaka asked.
"No, but at the same time it's overdue that I do it and see him to get some answers. I may have legally gotten my name changed, but he's still legally bound to me as my stepfather with limited guardian rights due to the nature of his sentence. He still adamantly refuses to sign any papers, and I'm still too lazy to go in front of a court to get fully emancipated from him, since I would have to explain in detail what he did during that time."
"Yeah, that makes sense. I was just making sure again that you're up to doing this."
"Well, since you're going to be there, I'd say I'll be fine. Most of everything seems easier whenever you're around, so hopefully you'll be able to put those Railgun talents into this without getting Gekota involved."
"Oh haha. Very funny." Misaka said with amusement in her voice as she looked up at the sky. "Well, I'll be waiting as patiently as I can for you to get back here. Me and Kuroko will try our best to keep the Head Resident from knowing that you're not here. Just promise that you'll be safe so I won't feel inclined to go out there to drag you back here personally myself if you take your time."
"Ahahaha, alright. I promise that I will be on my best behavior and not get into trouble to the best of my abilities. If I need any help, I know the perverted teleporter will be able to get you to my location in a timely manner."
After that, they both said their goodbyes to each other as Asher hung up the phone, leaving Misaka staring up at the sky as the stars began to peak out within the horizon.
A little while later….
A Certain High School
Asher was walking away from one of Yomikawa's places of work in hopes to maybe see her versus just calling her up on the phone.
After the week that she had, she honestly just wanted to talk to the woman face to face as she had always been comfortable speaking to her about as much as Misaka, feeling some type of connection that was there that seemed to fill the hole of emptiness she felt at times from not having any parents around.
She had called her after getting off the phone with Misaka and seeing that she wasn't at the Anti-Skill facility or at the High School and invited her to eat lunch with her sometime tomorrow. Due to all the craziness during this week, the last time she had even talked or texted her was the last day of her tutoring sessions at this school, making this meeting of sorts long over due since they always met up to do this at times.
This thought seemed to bring up another thought as her eyes narrowed slightly, stopping in her tracks to look in the direction of an illogical boy's place of residence.
She hadn't seen him in a while as well but knew he was still around at times since the last time she had seen him was during the Graviton Bombings that occurred just two days ago at this point.
Remembering the words that he said to her that day when she been at her lowest and felt….like she was worthless in comparison to the rest of the people around her…
["No one should ever have to feel that way or experience that and you are no exception. You're not worthless. You are significant. And you deserve to be happy just as much as the rest of us. It's not your fault that others misunderstand your intentions in wanting to understand them. It's their fault for not allowing themselves to want get to know a pretty cool and laid-back person like you, where all you want is to find people who just see you for you, Like Zapper and…"
"Me as well..."]
I never did get the chance to thank or pay him back for that, she thought to herself as a light blush appeared on her face, continuing on her path to go back to the Tokiwadai dorm.
Another Level 0 who actually tries to acknowledge me as just a person, and not by the name I carry because of my ability.
I just wonder…if I could ever make it up to him for what he did that day. Stopped me from feeling the way as I did with his genuine and comforting words that I had no confusion in justifying it as such.
I just wish that I…
Before she could continue that thought, she sensed a massive disturbance happen somewhere that was near the part of the 7th district she was in and then heard a massive explosion sound off right after.
When she turned, she noticed it was from the same location that she had just looked at for the boy that she had just thought about, getting a bad feeling all of the sudden as smoke rose higher and higher in the sky.
She stood there for a while, wondering what she should do as she was currently on her way back to the dorm to finally go to bed as she had only taken one nap that entire day and her back was starting to hurt due to the medicine within the cream she used early in the day was beginning to wear off.
Misaka had also told her to be careful, which wouldn't bode too well for her well-being if she were to find out that she put herself back into the hospital yet again as she was still recovering from the strain that occurred when she pushed herself too far…
She didn't pause for too long, though, as she let out a sigh after a while and engaged her ability to get to wherever that explosion happened as fast as she could.
She knew it could be nothing…
It could have just been a random fire that had started in one of the buildings next to his dorm, so it wouldn't hurt her or anything if she were to go make sure and put it out if she needed to.
Though, Kamijou seemed to be wrapped up in stuff without his control or consent, always pulled along when what he calls "Rotten Luck" comes to spite him…
Making her wonder what illogical thing he had just gotten himself into right now if her gut feeling was correct.
Word Count of Chapter: 8400 |Page Count: 15 pages |Reviews: 91 | Followers: 65 |Favorites: 53
Review Replies
Blankow: Thanks! I love doing Misaka's and Asher's interactions and always try my best to deliver them as real as I can. Even though it seems to tip towards Asher more at times, they both have each others backs which will get them through the hard times they will experience with each other in the future.
Silas is fast approaching as he'll be seen in a couple chapters (maybe 2-3). Hopefully the support of Misaka and Yomikawa will be enough to push through and find the answers she needs in regards to the missing pieces that Shokuhou hasn't been able to give her from the headscans.
The seriousness known as Asher Zierdan will always crumble at the sights of such things, given why the hilarity known as Kiyama Harumi needed her own chapter to break the minds of her and the Railgang due to her stripping habit.
Oh thank you for answering that question of swimsuits vs underwear lol XD. It brings the argument a whole other meaning and perspective from that standpoint.
Well as you can see, her introduction to the magic side of Academy City is coming where she least expects. The question is will she take the energy to even believe something as illogical as that so early in the story.
This was a big Saten and Zierdan chapter which I hope you all found enjoyable even from it taking a sad turn. She's a caring person that doesn't realize is one, only thinking that she just plays the role of using her mind to help the group or others whenever they need her when it's much more than that.
Oooh. Asher X A Plane is something that she would adamantly try to avoid as it would probably incapacitate for a long time if she's not careful. She could use her trick that she does with her skateboard to ride without any trouble, but she would still probably see that plane as a death sentence for her motion sickness lol.
Sooooo, I'm planning on covering Poltergeist since its events will lead into "something" that will happen for the depression known as the Sisters' arc. Which will indirectly mean that Big Spider should also be done, considering the events that happen within that lead into what happens in poltergeist. I'm not sure about Silent Party yet, so that's a little bit up in the air at this point but I'm probably going to. They will mostly likely not have as many chapters as the main arc does, so it will hopefully not push back (real time) for when the Sisters' arc will come out:)
LostNeko120: You're welcome and thanks!
We've got our first short-circuit KO of the story with the oblivious stripper known as Kiyama Harumi. Stay tuned for more as they will be more as Asher can't help but to do that at times lol.
Even though Saten waved her concerns off of her this chapter regarding the music player, Asher is still suspicious that something is up but doesn't feel comfortable into prying into something like that just yet. She doesn't like to upset others by prying into topics that she concludes to be sensitive, so she's talking a soft approach in hopes that Saten will keep her warning in mind of the fact that she will pry if she needs to.
Ooh, a new theory has arisen! You will learn a little bit more about Himari as time progresses and with the meeting with Silas approaching, that will hold some of the knowledge you guys seek regarding her as well as what her connection with Kiyama is.
We will finally get more interactions with Asher involving Yomikawa in either the next chapter or the one after. There is a reason why Yoshikawa hasn't been seen yet (not just because she's dealing with the project involving the Sisters') which will be answered soon as well.
I'm looking forward to writing the interactions between Accelerator and Asher. I feel that Last Order would have a blast with teasing the mess out of her just as much as Saten and Misaka do, probably to the liking of Accelerator as it will die down the heat from that on his end.
Will Asher win over the Sisters? We will see as she already has access from being best friends with the original.
Touma's memory loss will be a wild card factor with Asher in the mix as she'll tell from a mile away if he goes about it the wrong way. He'll need to play it smart versus the girl who basically wins in all things involving her everchanging Logic that most have a hard time trying to predict at times.
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover99
