HYDE-BERSERKER: *cocks gun* next chapter, now!

Blue712Jay: *hands raised in fear* Okay… Okay, I will.

Mai opened the door. "Hiiragi-Sensei! Are you still there?"

It was dead quiet. No response. The room was still dark, and Mai turned the lights on. She proceeded to walk further into the room to take a look at where the bed was. However, due to the configuration of the room, Misaka and Shinobu didn't have a chance to see who was in the bed.

Mai sighed, coming back. "She's in deep sleep. I don't think you can interview her like this. What do you think we should do?"

"I guess our only option is to turn back and come back when she's awake." Shinobu said, making the most logical choice.

"Wait though." Mai interrupted, taking Mikoto's hand. "I think you specifically should know who Ayaka Hiiragi is. Come on in."

"W-wha, me!? I don't really want to disrespect her privacy! Like, what if I wake her up!?" Mikoto said flustered. She was meeting one of the new greatest authors in Academy city after all. Who wouldn't be nervous?

"You won't disrespect her, trust me." Mai said firmly, dragging Mikoto further into the room.

For Mikoto, it was as if time was slowing down, and the small corridor of the apartment seemed to be expanding. Her restraint and curiosity were exploding with conflict in her head.

"Just relax when you see her face, okay?" Mai said. Mikoto nodded.

"Don't scream, shout or faint in surprise, okay?" Mai said. Mikoto nodded.

"Make sure you don't do anything of the sort that wakes up our author, okay?" Mai said. Mikoto nodded.

"Do not bombard her with questions, okay?" Mai said. Mikoto nodded.

"You are going to just take a peak and nothing else, okay?" Mai said. Mikoto nodded.

"Enough with this!" Mikoto said impatiently. "It's not like I'm going to kick the great author herself in the face…"

!SPOILERS-START!

"Mmmmm… Ash Ketchum! Mayushii! Natsuki Subaru! Those are rookie numbers!" A familiar voice said while asleep. "I'll have you know that I have died over 10,000 times!"

!SPOILERS-END!

"Ah." Mikoto finally stood in front of her napping clone, who was muttering god-knows-what.

"Ah… those deaths hurt a lot…" The clone continued to mutter in her sleep.

Mikoto let out a single sound. "W…"

"W?" Mai could only repeat the sound Mikoto let out.

"WAKE THE HELL UP!" Mikoto suddenly shouted, kicking the poor clone in the face.

"GYAAAOOWW!" The author jolted awake, screaming in sudden pain.

"YOU!? IT WAS YOU!?" Mikoto proceeded to grab the author's collar before she could comprehend what was happening prior to her awakening. "ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!"

""In the end, she really did end up kicking the great author herself in the face…"" Misaki and Mai spoke together out loud.

Misaki sighed. "This was the first time I ever doubted my own ability. Who would have thought that the author was actually Misaka-san's clo- I mean, sister?"

"Ah, that reminds me." Misaki said. "How are you holding up, Shinobu?" She asked, turning around.

Shinobu was on the ground, back against the wall. It was almost like her soul was peacefully floating out of her mouth. All and all, she has objectively and officially fainted.

"Just as shocked and stunned as her, huh?" Misaki commented. "We might have a noise complaint soon…"

It was the next morning since the night I was assaulted by my "sister".

I knew I would have had to tell her about my books, but I didn't expect her to come over and find out today.

She even kicked me in the face when she found out! Could she be any meaner than this?!

I couldn't exactly remember what happened last night, so I probably fainted after getting brutally assaulted by Mikoto. No one was around when I woke up, so everyone probably left in the middle of the night.

'What should I do now…?'

I checked the time. I had to publish my work by calling Yoshikawa. After that, I thought about the troublesome things I would have to go through if I decided to visit Mikoto.

After some thinking, I decided to just forget about it and pretend nothing happened. Mikoto should be attending school anyway.

I opened my laptop, and checked everything. The cover, text, and illustrations were all there. All I had to do was publish the volumes at regular intervals.

I observed the cover for some time. The cover image of Mayushii Shiina, and below were credited names: "Written by Hiiragi Ayaka, Edited by Kisaragi Mai"

I remembered when I was working with my new editor, and we discussed Mai's credited name.

Mai finally decided to just go by her real name, but I can imagine the attention she will be getting if anyone is clever enough to connect the dots.

Mai was a good editor, so I wanted to hire her again if I needed to make a good series. On the other hand though, the more I interact with Mai once the new series is out, the more likely it is that I would get exposed.

Though the attention I would be getting won't be so bad, letting the public find out about the project is a pretty big no-no.

I sighed, putting the dilemma aside. I went over to mail and sent Yoshikawa the long file Mai and I worked on.

'Here is the new book I wrote, I would like you to send this to our current publisher and have them check on it.'

I decided to keep the message casual for now.

'Now that I'm finished…' I thought.

'Hello, free time!'

"I'm sorry, we're sold out again." The clerk said apologetically.

"What!? Again? The last volume is already out, so why is the first volume sold out again?!" A certain boy screamed at the clerk who was in charge of selling.

"I'm very sorry. If I had to guess, it would be people buying extra copies to send outside of Academy City, or simply doing so out of respect."

"SUCH MISFORTUNE!" The boy whined, scrubbing his spiky hair. He finally gave up making a fuss, and went on his way back home. He had once again, failed to buy the first volume called 'Sincerely'.

His two friends Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu bothered him to no end about this new series, yet they refused when Touma asked him if he could have a read.

He usually didn't listen or play along with their dumb antics. However, it seriously took him by surprise when Fukiyose Seiri, also known as the Iron Wall Girl, confiscated the novel Aogami bought, and ended up bursting into ugly tears when she took a peek at the book in curiosity.

Of course, the boys didn't miss that chance to make fun of Iron Wall's public display. Thanks to that, Touma was mixed with anticipation and curiosity about the novel, hoping to buy a copy for himself.

He warily walked across the street to get home. He had to at least avoid a duel with Biri-Biri after all. He sighed once again. The local bookstores and libraries he goes to always coincidentally had the book he was looking for sold out. He could only blame his right hand for this.

He thought about borrowing the novel from some acquaintances he has. Firstly, he wasn't sure if any of the people espers or magicians he had met actually got to read the novel for themselves. The cover looked pretty childish, so he might be provoking anyone by asking about it.

He crossed off the scary, aggressive people off in his mind. This especially included the 3rd ranked electromaster, and some of the magicians of Necessarius. He didn't really feel like asking any of the magicians anyway, because bringing such a childish topic might not be such a good idea.

His male friends were off the list too, as they had blatantly refused him once he asked.

As he went through his imaginary list, his self esteem got lower from how little amount of people he can rely on.

Tsukuyomi Komoe, his homeroom teacher, seemed like a safe choice. Though she was reliable at times, he didn't know how to feel about asking her about a light novel. There was a chance she didn't even know what those were, anyway.

"Ouch!"

He thought harder until he suddenly hit something on his head while going around a corner. He didn't pay more attention to his surroundings, which led to him bumping into someone.

He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "Such Misfortune." He muttered under his breath.

Touma stopped rubbing to look at who he had just bumped into. His face paled upon seeing who it was.

"Misaka-san!?" He cried. She was in casual clothes, which was very unusual. He cursed his bad luck, because she was probably the person he wanted to meet last.

Touma put his right hand out, expecting an electric shock. That was, until Misaka picked up the goggles that were dropped on the floor because of the collision.

Touma felt endless relief rushing into him. The person he bumped into turned out to be one of the SISTERS, instead of the original.

"Are you okay?" He asked, putting out his hand.

The clone took it. "Thanks a lot. Sorry about that." She said, smiling.

Touma shook his hands, a bit flustered. "No, no, I should be the one sorry-"

He stopped, realizing the situation. His jaw almost dropping, he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. The girl tilted her head.

"W-who are you!?" He finally shouted.

"...what do you mean? I'm one of the clones."

"No, no, no!" He protested. "Why are you dressed like that!? Why are you speaking normally!?" Having met the 3rd-person speaking clones before, he was creeped out beyond imagination seeing a clone speak normally.

"Is there something wrong with the way I'm dressed?" She asked.

"D-don't tell me that the other clones started speaking like you!?"

"Ah! Nah." The clone responded. "It's only me who decided to change. My serial number is 15712 by the way."

Touma wasn't sure how to feel about that. If every clone decided to act like a normal person and go out to society at the same time, who knows what chaos that would bring. Twins of over 10,000 of the same person would not be believable in the least. If it even did exist, he would send his condolences towards the mother.

Touma stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to this girl. He was used to her "3rd person speech" after all. He was surrounded by weirdos, espers, and Magicians, so talking to a normal person was something he hasn't done in a while.

But then, it hit him.

'Wait, she fits the criteria doesn't she? I guess it would be worth a shot to ask her…' He thought, before resolving himself to make a decision.

"Hey… You know that famous book that has been all the fire lately? Do you have a copy of the series?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." The clone responded.

'What a streak of luck!' Touma cheered in his head.

"You probably already finished reading the series, right? Do you mind if you lend it to me?" Touma asked.

"Ah, sure! You can keep the books as thanks for that time. Would you like an autograph on it?"

"..."

"..."

Touma connected the dots.

"HAAAAAH!?"

Mikoto still pondered about the revelation that her clone turned out to be Ayaka Hiiragi. The more she thought about it, she felt pretty nice. Like doting big sister, she felt somewhat proud of what her clone was capable of doing. It makes her think that if she was raised differently, she might have been able to write books that make even the coldest of people cry too. It would be the perfect weapon against Misaki, and other obnoxious people she met from time to time.

Despite the girl being her clone, she was still wildly unpredictable. First she works at a convenience store, and now she basically becomes a full-time author. It always was that way ever since she met her clones in the first place.

So the next morning after the night she found out, she decided to give it some time. The assignment was due in a long while, and Mikoto had already finished a large portion of the work already. All she pretty much needed was the interview now.

It was almost time for the debut of Miyano's new books series Steins;Gate. Instead of historical fiction, the series seemed to have a more modern setting. The setting took place in Academy City itself, so it was a possibility that a movie adaptation would be filmed in the City.

Mikoto was currently waiting almost a block away from a local bookstore. The place was so crowded, it was as if the bookstore was just opening.

From a distance, Mikoto looked around. It was definitely possible that the 1st volume would be sold out 10 minutes after the bookstore actually opens, so she was going to have to come up with a strategy.

She considered bringing Kuroko along so they can teleport straight in the moment the bookstore opens, but it probably wasn't a good idea to use abilities for convenience. She didn't really like the idea of inviting her over like this either. In the end, the only thing Mikoto could do was take advantage of her athleticism and buy a copy for herself.

She approached the chattering crowd, so large that it was blocking traffic on the streets. Mikoto watched from the very rear of the crowd, a single boy with a terrified expression slowly approached the front door. Mikoto checked the time. It was time for the store to open, meaning that people should be allowed in any second by now.

The boy who approached the front door shook violently, scared of the inevitable stampede he might have to face. Mikoto sensed the atmosphere turn more competitive, breathing getting deeper, and heart pumping even faster. The boy's heart was probably beating the hardest, to the point where he might faint.

Over a hundred pairs of eyes laid on the boy. He gently reached his hand towards the "Closed" sign as if he were feeding a lion. With his other hand, he held the lock from the inside to unlock the door. Mikoto could see him count down under his breath.

"3…"

"2…"

"1…"

The boy unlocked the door and flipped the "Closed" Sign over. He turned around and took off without sparing a single thought to avoid being trampled.

It was time. As if it were one of the races from the Daihasei festival, Mikoto raced past all the students, scientists, and other people that were among the crowd. She heightened her senses. Thankfully, her clone (Miyano) notified her that Steins;Gate would probably be in the "Science Fiction" section. She made sure to immediately get there.

It wasn't hard to find where the anticipated volumes were. The store managers and owners must have foreseen this situation, so the new books were clearly indicated and advertised within the store. Mikoto was definitely ahead of the crowd, but there were a few select others ahead of Mikoto.

Mikoto would want to use magnetism to gain speed or run on the walls, but the local store wasn't exactly made of the most conductive materials.

She noticed the people ahead of her definitely had abilities of their own to gain speed. She noticed one particular person who was sliding on the ground ahead of her to be quite familiar.

Mikoto figured her ability must be to control friction. She must have reduced the friction between the floor and her shoes, allowing her to slide quickly with ease ahead of the crowd.

Mikoto sprinted a bit harder, also using her magnesium on the little metal that was in the store. She turned to look at the girl, and she was wearing a sailor school uniform and a short skirt. She has long black hair and a serious look in her eyes.

Suddenly, it hit Mikoto. The reason why the girl was so familiar was because she had picked a fight with her before.

All of this took place in a span of a few seconds, and a handful of people managed to arrive at the section of the new books. She noticed the black haired girl took 4 copies for herself.

You can take multiple copies!?

As Mikoto managed to nab a single volume, she thought about her roommate Kuroko, and two of her other close friends Uiharu-san and Saten-san. Just in case, she decided to take an extra just for them. The black haired girl did so, so why couldn't she?

Of course, the crowd of people each grabbing a copy for themselves was coming, and Mikoto had to get out fast if she didn't want to be sandwiched between other people. She rushed to a counter, to purchase the volumes. There actually were almost twice as many clerks checking out, as if the manager had seen this coming. Like piranhas eating up their prey, the crowd slowly leaves the bookstore after getting what they wanted. Mikoto bought two of the same book, and proudly left victorious.

Unfortunately though, there are some who weren't the same.

"Ahhh!" A young girl of 12 with short brown hair screamed, on the floor. She wore a fluffy knit dress, a sweater dress to be exact.

"Mugino's going to super kill me!" She moaned, squeezing her head. "I should have busted my way through with my armor!"

Mikoto recognized the girl. She had a "bonding" with her in search of the rare Indian Poker card. Mikoto doesn't want to remember what the card was called.

Still not really knowing what her name was, Mikoto decided to call her the "super" girl for now. She quite liked the word "super" after all.

Mikoto sighed. She really didn't want to resort to this, but she approached the girl who was on the floor and reached out her hand.

"You okay?"

The "super" girl looked up slowly towards Mikoto. "The Railgun…" she muttered. It seemed like she recognized Mikoto.

Mikoto reluctantly handed the girl the extra book she bought. She felt guilty about this girl coming all the way, and she could always buy another copy anyway.

The "super" girl was stunned by this surprising act of kindness. It was almost as if God had decided to save her from Mugino's wrath. Of course, Mikoto was oblivious of this.

"Here. I just pitied you." Mikoto said. Suddenly, because Mikoto was holding the book at an angle, the book slid off the cover. Mikoto still had the cover, and the actual book fell on the ground. Both Mikoto and the "super" girl tensed upon seeing what the cover was.

It was Sincerely.

Some sick bastard decided it would be funny to swap the covers of both Sincerely and Steins;Gate, making Mikoto buy the wrong book. Once Mikoto realized this, she frantically checked the other book she had bought for herself.

"..."

"..."

It was the same.

"Oi…" The girl who was on the ground spoke up, while getting up from the ground. She didn't speak to Mikoto, but rather towards a nearby staff member who just so happened to see the "cover swap".

"Eeeek!" The staff member tensed up and bowed a complete 90 degrees. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience! It happened so fast, we didn't know what happened! It might be the work of a teleporter!"

Crackling lightning began to envelope the room. Mikoto's hair over shadowed her eyes, but it didn't take a mind reader to know that she was angry. She only spoke two words. "Cameras. Now."

Meanwhile, a strange barrier formed around the other girl's two fists. An abnormal sound rang out as this happened. "I'm super going to kill whoever did it…" She said, just as angry as Mikoto.

"Okay! Okay! Please calm down! I'm going to bring out the camera footage this time!" The staff member cried, desperately trying to calm the two girls down.

The next thing they knew, the staff member led them both to the security room as if it were some sort of hostile takeover. As they both followed the timid staff member, they talked with each other.

"Though you didn't get the right book for me, I super appreciate the thought." The girl said to Mikoto.

"Yeah… You were going to get a book for a friend, right?" Mikoto replied.

"Yeah, multiple friends. 3 people and 1 idiot." The girl said. Mikoto felt deja vu, and fell silent.

"Hey…" The girl suddenly said. "Once we find the guy who caused this, do you want to crush him with me?"

"Gladly." Mikoto replied without hesitation.

"I'm Kinuhata Saiai by the way. You must be Misaka Mikoto, right?"

"Yes." Mikoto figured she would know who she was, because she is the Railgun.

"Um, right this way…" The staff member said, presenting a room with monitors and an office chair. Mikoto got to work straight away, reviewing the footage from the book's delivery to the present.

"No one seems to have done anything…" Kinuhata said, troubled. Suddenly, she noticed something. "Can you reverse the footage?" She asked.

"You noticed too, right?" Mikoto said, reversing the footage. At some point in time, the timestamp at the bottom left had a different date. This discrepancy only meant that someone had hacked the monitor and replaced the footage with dummy footage.

"This is super elaborate for a prank…" Kinuhata said.

"Yeah…" Mikoto agreed. Uiharu seemed to have a knack for this kind of thing, but she couldn't exactly call her to come over and trace the hacker. She slouched in agony and sadness. It wasn't like anyone she knew…

It hit her.

"Kinuhata-san." Mikoto called.

"Hm?"

"I have an idea. I have someone in mind who could probably get us both a copy."

Kinuhata raised her eyebrow. "Oh? I didn't expect the goody two shoes Railgun to have those connections." Kinuhata thought Mikoto probably meant the dark side. She was fully willing to go along with it, because not only is she experienced being on that side, but also because she valued her life. Her 'boss' might be scarier than any opponent she would encounter there anyway.

However, going against all of Kinuhata's expectations, Mikoto gave her a deprived look. "You don't mean I'm going to be up to anything sketchy, right? Why would a simple book series be worth breaking the law for?"

'Mugino would absolutely break the law for those books though. Frenda is even more likely to as well.' Kinuhata thought with a disheartened look. "Um… what are you thinking then?" She asked.

"My younger twin sister just so happens to be the author of these books."

"! #$?%% #?$%#$!&*$!?$%$% %?!"

Somewhere, an eerie voice echoed through an empty, private office. The figure in the office slammed the book onto the desk, sighing. That book just so happened to be the newly released volume called 'Steins;Gate'.

"Disgusting." The figure said. "Truly an enemy of science."

"Ayaka Hiiragi, just wait until I bury you." The voice continued coldly.

"Heh." They chuckled.

Their chuckle turned into mild, arrogant laughter.

Holy crap this chapter was getting too long. This is the first time I had to split a chapter I had in mind into two separate chapters. Well as an apology for the cliffhanger, I released this one a tad early.

So anyway, looking at all the past reviews, I gathered every manga/manhwa suggestion that I have at least heard of.

1 Vote:

Gintama

No Game No Life

Magi Madoka Magica

Solo Leveling

josee to tora to sakana-tachi

Gosick

Dr Stone

2 Votes:

Code Geass

Re:Zero

Fate Series

Yeah, there are too many conflicts with suggestions. So, it would be difficult to fulfill them all. I probably read multiple requests by the same reviewer, too. I don't think I need to put this out there, but please don't start spamming the reviews. One message is good enough.

Anywho, it's a three way tie between "Code Geass", "Re:Zero", and "Fate", huh?

I'm afraid "Fate" and "Code Geass" will have to wait for now. Fate is long and complicated, so it would be hard to get the basic premise and "theme" of the story. Code Geass is still on my watch list. I still would like to go unspoiled, please understand.

I guess that only leaves Re:Zero, which I heavily enjoyed in the past.

Again, I'm very sorry that I can't fulfill everyone's requests and expectations.