"Mikoto, you need to calm down!" Kuroko whispered in a harsh tone as Mikoto struggled against her. Mikoto bit at Kuroko's hand as she tried to smother the shouting, but it was an ultimately fruitless task as Mikoto could only let out a cry of pain as she recalled that Kuroko's hand was now MADE OF METAL.
Finally, with great effort, the pair managed to get Mikoto to calm down and only glower angrily in the direction of Uiharu and the Queen of Tokiwadai, who had maintained their not-whatsoever-chaste kiss for quite some time before Misaki had ended it, taking Uiharu's hand in her own and gesturing in a direction. The trio could only watch in dumbfounded confusion as the couple began to walk down the street.
The thing that got Mikoto, and Kuroko, to nearly burst into rage, was Misaki taking the briefest of moments to look over her shoulder directly at the trio, meeting Mikoto's eyes, a wry smirk spreading across her face before she turned her attention back forward once more.
"WE'RE FOLLOWING THEM." Mikoto hissed as she grabbed at her forearm crutch and began to quickly move along, Kuroko more than happy to keep pace, and Saten rushing ahead, if only so that her snooping mission wasn't usurped from her.
"S-so what's the big deal here? I mean, this is TOTALLY AWESOME, don't get me wrong, Uiharu is dat-" Saten began to say, looking beyond excited as she collected all the teasing material in the world.
"It's NOT awesome!" Mikoto hissed as they kept a fair distance, stalking their prey. Saten just looked confused beyond belief at Mikoto's anger, looking to Kuroko for some help. Kuroko let out a sigh as she began to explain.
"That girls power is known as Mental Out. She is the single most powerful telepath in all of Academy City. She can make almost anyone do anything. She can read minds, send thoughts, control actions, brainwash, change perceptions, beliefs, pre-program behaviors. Her powers are… terrifying."
As Kuroko explained Mental Out's powers, Saten's cheer rather rapidly began to slide from her face, starting to get replaced with a horrified expression.
"Is… Is she…" Saten looked like she was thinking about straight up rushing Misaki, Kuroko quickly reaching out and grabbing onto her shoulder, a bit tighter than she meant to, Saten letting out a strangled cry of pain as the unnaturally strong hand squeezed down on her poor fleshy shoulder.
Kuroko let go with a wincing silent apology, Saten waving it off. Their eyes turned to look at their stalked prey.
Uiharu and Misaki were sitting in a cafe, drinking tea, talking. That was it, it seemed. Both of their coats had been taken by the staff of the very high class establishment, so the pair were just enjoying their tea while enjoying a silent, from the trio's perspective, conversation. Uiharu seemed to be blushing the entire time while Misaki seemed to be endlessly amused during the entire silent talk.
Mikoto looked barely restrained from her hiding spot behind a decorate tree that was planted on the street side, each girl hidden behind their own tiny tree, being given strange looks. "Do we have a game plan here?" Saten asked quietly as she poked her head through the branches of the little tree.
Mikoto and Kuroko did not immediately reply, and instead merely made uncertain grumbling sounds. I mean, what DO they do? Misaki was a frightening opponent… Mikoto was immune to her mind control because of her electromagnetic field, but that wouldn't stop Misaki from controlling Kuroko or Saten or Uiharu or everyone in the Cafe…
"We have to rescue Uiharu from her harpy clutches…" Mikoto hissed, her hand clenching into a fist as her other squeezed around her crutch. The duo aware of the meaning of the action felt their breath catch in their throat as Misaki fished out a remote control from her bag and say something to Uiharu, who looked surprised, and click a button. Uiharu blinked before her eyes glazed over and her posture softened, slouching over a little.
Mikoto nearly exploded in rage, her fury pausing only as Misaki turned to look at the three of them watching, beckoning them over with a finger. Mikoto didn't need any invitation, and Kuroko and Saten didn't need much else as they quickly followed into the cafe.
As they stormed in, the three paused part way in. Everyone, quite literally everyone in this packed cafe, had the same vacant stare as Uiharu. They just… stared. Waiting. Saten grabbed on to Mikoto's arm, prompting the Railgun to look at her, and saw the typically fearless Saten was genuinely terrified. It was like everyone in the room had been stripped of their minds.
"Please, come join us." A heavenly, and silky-smooth voice cooed from around the corner. Mikoto stormed toward it where Misaki currently sat, as well as Uiharu, still staring vacantly into space. What made it more infuriating was Misaki holding on to Uiharu's hand as she sat there.
"What the fuck do you think you're playing at?!" Mikoto lunged at Misaki, grabbing at her collar. Misaki looked entirely unfazed.
"You'll need to be more specific, Mikoto-chan." Misaki said in a tone that was nothing short of condescending. Saten felt her eyes snap to Kuroko who looked like she was about to knock out Misaki's teeth out for talking to Mikoto in such a way.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO UIHARU!?" Mikoto shouted in Misaki's face, Misaki sighing as she pushed Mikoto back. Misaki was not known for her physical prowess. But Mikoto was forced to let go as she rebalanced herself on her crutch and stumbled, Mikoto helping to right her a bit, the trio glowering at her.
"I've done nothing." Misaki shrugged. "Unless you mean right now. This is just a favor. I did not want her to know that her friends are spying on her romantic life. My little flower is a bit of a curious and nosy type herself, but she always drew a line of moments she'd never intrude upon." Misaki said, squeezing Uiharu's hand. The three stared at her, somewhat floored at the kind of bizarre explanation they were being given.
"You are the ones following Haru-chan and I on our date. You are the intruders, not us." Misaki said, brushing some hair from her shoulder, huffing a bit.
"R-romant-? D-date?!" Mikoto hissed, looking like she was preparing to beat Misaki to death with her crutch.
"Yes, date. Would you like me to undo this? Haru-chan can explain it herself. Though then you will have to explain why you were spying on her, how you knew where we were, and an assortment of other questions." She raised the remote up. For a moment, all three friends looked uncertain as they waited.
Misaki stared at them. She let the seconds crawl on. "Convenient, isn't it?" She asked. The three of them looked at her in confusion.
"It's easy to judge a telepath. But it is very easy to give in to the temptations of how easy it can make ones life. Choose." Misaki dared them, pointing the remote at Uiharu.
"Let her go." Mikoto finally broke the silence, and before anyone else could say a word, Misaki lowered her finger, a beep emanating from the remote. She tucked it away into her bag as time seemed to continue and everyone in the cafe resumed what they were doing. Uiharu blinked several times as she came back into focus.
Uiharu glanced to one side, then the next, at her friends, then Misaki, then back at her friends.
"Wha- why- how-!?" She looked down at the hand that was holding Misaki's and almost out of instinct tried to pull it away, but found it rather firmly in the Queen's grasp. Misaki simply resumed sipping her tea as she held Uiharu's hand in her vice grip.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of Haru-chan. Your friends were ever so curious it seems." Was all she said as she sipped her tea, her starry eyes concealed behind her lids. Uiharu's eyes turned to her friends who were standing somewhat paralyzed in uncertainty.
"What… Why are you guys here? How are you… How did you…?" Uiharu's face was burning red in embarrassment and confusion, and the trio of friends across from her seemed uncertain as to how to respond. Mikoto grimaced a little, one hand in Kuroko's while the other leaned on her crutch as she began to lean forward and opened her mouth to speak. She had been the one to ask Misaki to break the trance, so she felt the need to say something. She never got the chance.
Saten cut in front of Mikoto, quickly speaking up. "We're here because of me, Uiharu." Saten said quickly, her expression one of grim determination. Uiharu managed to tug her hand free of Misaki's grip and stand up, her hands moving to her chest as she frowned at Saten.
"W-what do you mean? What's going on, Saten-san?" She asked, though there was an edge to her voice brought on by stress. Saten shifted a little under Uiharu's gaze, but didn't waver as she stood up a bit straighter.
"I mean… I just… You've been kind of secretive lately, so I thought, you know… I'd see what you were up too." She began to explain, though almost immediately, she felt her resolve begin to waver. "Then we saw some stuff, and just were trying to make sure you were safe!" Saten said, though her tone was getting very defensive in short order. Kuroko and Mikoto behind her were starting to shift uncomfortably, glancing at each other, Kuroko's arm occasionally twitching as Mikoto ensured it behaved.
A flash of guilt seemed to spread across Uiharu's face for a moment, but she seemed to shake it away. "How did you even know where I was?" She asked, frowning at her.
"W-well… I uh.. Borrowed… your itinerary…" Saten said quietly, glancing to the side. Uiharu's heart skipped a beat. Panic surged through her. If Saten had stolen that, then she might have seen…
"W-why did you go through my things!?" Uiharu yelled on impulse, her politeness slipping as emotion began to give way. Saten jerked back, her own emotions starting to clearly begin to build up.
"I was just trying to make sure you were OK! I mean, are you!?" She asked sharply, prompting Uiharu to jerk her head back in surprise.
"W-what's that supposed to mean?!" She snapped back angrily. Kuroko and Mikoto looked around, noticing that those in the room were staring at the growing argument, and that Misaki was fishing through her bag with a kind of bored expression on her face, muttering something quietly to herself.
"I mean, you've been keeping this from us! How do you know this is safe?!" Saten argued back at her, Uiharu grabbed at her blouse tightly, balling it in her fists.
"It's perfectly safe! I've been dating Misaki-sama for over half a year!" Uiharu yelled back, surprising Saten, Kuroko, and Mikoto all at once. At first they could only blink in shock at the statement, in pure disbelief. Saten was the first to have something to say. As Saten shouted her response back, her expression was one twisted in anger and uncontrolled emotions, the girl towering over her shorter friend as her voice raised.
"H-how do you even know if that's actually true?! I found out what her power is, what if she's controlling yo-"
CRACK.
The entire room seemed to sharply inhale their breath. Kuroko and Mikoto could only stare with horrified slack-jawed expressions. Even Misaki's gaze had spun around with her eyes wide in surprise, seeming at a loss for what had just happened.
Saten could only stare to the side out the window away from Uiharu, her neck having twisted, and her cheek searing with heat, from the force of the slap from Uiharu. Her mouth hung slightly open, the shock spread across her face.
"You don't even know her." Uiharu said with a cold anger. "Don't talk that way about someone I love more than anyone!" Uiharu's voice shook with emotion.
Slowly, Saten forced herself to look at Uiharu, who had tears flowing down her face, tears of frustration and anger.
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"
Silence echoed throughout the cafe. Seconds crawled by, as no one said a word. Uiharu's icy anger seemed to slowly thaw, just as slowly as Saten's struck dumb expression was marred by tears as they fell down her face. Uiharu's expression seemed to shift from anger to horror.
"...S-Saten, w-wait-" Uiharu began to say, but she did not get another word out before Saten tore from the building.
"SATEN, WAIT! WAIT! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" Uiharu tried to run after her, but by the time she made it to the cafe door, Saten was gone, long legs and an athletic frame having carried her far, far from the establishment.
The sky rumbled as a winter thunderstorm began to rumble and icy rain began to fall, Uiharu pulled in from the rain forcibly by loving arms of a blond beauty who shushed her quietly, even as she sobbed in her embrace.