Chapter 2: First Impressions
"'What am I doing here?' says Misaka as she repeats the stranger's question. 'Is Misaka not allowed to be here?' asks Misaka, offended by the stranger's insinuation that Misaka does not have the right to be at this location."
Sarina Gray was familiar with her hometown. While she can't necessarily remember the name of every single resident, she was familiar with a lot of their faces. Even then, it's not too uncommon for a new face to arrive every once in a while. Be it those that are moving or simply visiting. So the level of shock and confusion she displayed for the visitor wasn't something worthy of a reaction.
What shocked her was that this new visitor is known as a celebrity from a city with the highest level of security for their borders; Greater than any other country. Security is so high that all residents of Academy City are prevented from leaving no matter the reason. Yet before her stood a resident looking at a bird's nest like a normal tourist.
"N-No you are! Or maybe not? Honestly Academy City isn't really specific on what their border rules are. It's just…,"Sarina stutters over her words as she still processes the sudden appearance of a celebrity. "You're THE Mikoto Misaka! Academy City's third ranked level five!"
"Hm?"
"I'm surprised someone like you is in an average place like this. Ooooh this is so exciting! I always wanted to meet a level 5! Hell, anyone from Academy City!" Sarina could not contain her excitement at the prospect of meeting not only a resident of the place she idolized, but a celebrity as well.
"So tell me, what's it like there? How do esper powers work? How are they made? Do you have any powers? What level are you? Do you know the other level fives? What are they like? What's the cost of dorms there? Do they have their own brand of products? What is fashion like there? Is everyone just wearing school uniforms? What are the schools even like? How can a city manage a population of both espers and students with no parental supervision? Why were those hamsters scared of you during the three legged race at the Daihaseisai?"
Question after question after question. Sarina filled Misaka's head with a barrage of unhinged passion and curiosity. Some were trivial, some were personal, and some would be labeled as top secret information warranting an assassination if they were to get out. It was enough to cause anyone a headache from the speed at which she talked.
And yet, the girl who received these questions stared with dead eyes and a face that lacked any real emotion; Unaffected by the intensity of Sarinas passionate curiosity. All she did was look over the girl with a gatling gun's worth of words and stared at the sky.
People tend to unconsciously look without meaning when in deep thought.
"Oh wait, what am I doing!? I must be annoying you with all these questions. Why don't we start small? My name is Sarina, what brings you to Rinas?" Misaka looked back at the girl with the same emotionless face she had while deep in the inner workings of her mind.
"'Usually when a person shows their odd behavior to someone with either a high status or they look up to, then apologizes for it and attempts to look more professional, it means they are trying to be more approachable and friendly in hopes that the person will find their habits charming and see them as a potential friend and want to learn more about them," says Misaka carefully analyzing the girl's behavior. 'In short, you are merely trying to build connections rather than start a legitimate friendship. Am I wrong?,' asks Misaka, seeing right through the girl's attempts at flattery."
"Gah!"
She was right.
When you get the chance to meet someone with connections to the world or people you want to be a part of, it's only natural to make a good first impression. Whether it be your highschool crush, a job opportunity, or to be friends with someone who is famous; You would want to find some common ground you could bond over. People want to be treated like any other person so naturally talking to them casually is an approach some people tend to go for. People tend to be drawn more towards someone who either exhibits confidence or a quirky side to them. Sarina was using the latter to her advantage.
It was a method that you could easily use to make connections to those of higher status but are still approachable people. To reveal a vulnerable but not too personal side to you that tends to come off as quirky with no shame in being yourself. A personality trait that some (at least to those that believe it does) tend to be drawn too.
But is that really friendship? Your desire to create a bond with this person is based solely on the connections they have; Not the person themselves. It might sound like a nihilistic viewpoint, but plenty of people have attempted this before. Hollywood agents go to the parties of famous actors and directors in hopes of getting more clients, certain salarymen will kiss the boot of upper management in hopes of getting a promotion, and some people will try to do everything they can to impress their crush for something as simple as a kiss on the cheek.
And this girl, who would do anything to go to the city of the future, was no different.
Sarina sulked her head to avoid eye contact from Miraka's unchanging stare. "You're right…I'm sorry…Please forgive me," Sarina's words were full of shame and defeat as she could not excuse the intentions she truly had.
"'Hm, how does Misaka know you are truly apologizing and not using another tactic to get in Misaka's favor?' says Misaka slowly backing away from her supposed stalker. Taking up a defensive stance to prevent any harm that might come to her."
"I'm sorry! Honest! I'm sorry for the rotten internal nature of my character! I'll do whatever it takes to get some kind of connection to the place of my dreams! But that is no excuse for mental manipulations! So please forgive meeeeee!"
"I was kidding."
Sarina Gray, who was clutching her head to contain the overwhelming guilt of realizing she could be a terrible person, replaced her look of despair with dumbfound confusion. She stared at the celebrity who held the same face no matter what the tone of the room was.
"'Misaka could tell you were no threat despite your intentions. Though Misaka did not expect your desire for her forgiveness would be so high,' says Misaka with pity at your desperate need to make friends."
'This girl!'
Despite being a figure she looked up to and was her only hope of leaving her current life, Sarina ran out of patience for the girl. Even if she was at fault, who was she to poke fun at her genuine attempt to reconcile? No matter your status, poking fun at someone's feelings cannot go unpunished! At least that's what Sarina believed. Sarina was a charismatic and understanding girl, but that does not mean she won't bare her fangs to people who rub her the wrong way; no matter who they were.
Sarina spoke with condescendence in her speech as she displayed a smug smirk. "Alright, you got me there. Though I heard when people say 'I was kidding' or 'it was a joke', it means they're trying to save face when they've said something offensive. Maybe you're just saying that to cover up your lack of tact."
"'True, however in this instance Misaka was simply teasing you as punishment for your behavior. You were the one who failed to see Misaka's hilarious joke and overreacted,' says Misaka dismissing your attempt to use her reasoning against her.
'You know what, maybe Academy City isn't worth this.'
This was the moment Sarina considered giving up on her dreams. It was also the moment that she took a look at herself and realized that she wasn't making a good impression with the way she was acting. She took a deep breath and decided to stay true to herself and speak honestly.
She would have made a better impression if she did this from the start.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. So for real this time, My name is Sarina Gray. It's nice to meet you," the girl said as she offered a hand towards the girl with the face of a celebrity.
"'Misaka will overlook your rude introduction for now,' says Misaka, reaching her hand out to accept the strangers greeting. 'But first Misaka wants to clear your misunderstanding. Misaka is not the third ranked level five esper Mikoto Misaka, but rather her younger sister. Though Misaka does come from Academy City,' says Misaka relieved that she can finally clear that assumption.'"
"Oh really! Then sorry for confusing you for her. Still though, Academy City doesn't allow the students to leave, so seeing one out here is pretty surprising."
"'You are correct,' says Misaka, impressed by your knowledge. 'However students can still technically leave the premises so long as they write up and turn in three written applications, have their blood checked for identification, and have a guarantor to obtain a complete pass,' says Misaka, correcting yet another assumption."
"W-Wow… that seems a little intense for border patrol, but I guess every country has its own rules when it comes to that."
"'Oh, and you also need to have a nanodevice implanted into your body,' says Misaka, remembering that important detail."
"Okay, that's a human rights violation!"
What the girl said was true. Espers from Academy City are at the highest risk of abduction so they are forbidden from leaving the city under any circumstance. It is an effective method that has succeeded at preventing any kidnappings. But as Sarina said, implanting a tracking device inside the body of another human is incredibly illegal and goes against laws set up by the United nations. Yet Academy City is openly public about it?
'No, I can't let that get to my head. I'm sure Academy City isn't perfect, but that won't stop me from trying to reach it. Besides, it's not that uncommon for a government to spy on the populace.'
Sarina's eyes widened as she came to realize something about this strange girl. "Oh yeah! You said that you were Mikoto's younger sister, right? So what's your name?"
It was a simple question when meeting someone new. Whether that be with the intent to make new friends or go up the societal ladder. Yet the younger sister did not answer her; She just gave her the same blank stare she had before. 'Why the stare? It was a simple question so why take so long to answer?' thought Sarina worried she said something that would warrant her offense.
With seconds that felt like hours, the monotone girl answered. "'Misaka is designated as 10532,' Says Misaka after getting permission to reveal her serial number."
'A number?' Thought Sarina, confused at the girl's odd name."Uhh, that's a nickname right? Or is this some other rule when it comes to leaving the city?"
"'Academy City does not require residents to have identification numbers as their names,' says Misaka, clearing yet another assumption the girl has made. 'Misaka's serial number is specific to Misaka. So Misaka is designated as Misaka 10532, which you would normally call a name,' says Misaka, annoyed she must explain the specifics of her identification."
Sarina could tell that this was a sensitive subject for the girl so she decided not to pry any further. "In that case, do you mind if I just call you Misaka to make it easier?"
"'Misaka finds this acceptable,' says Misaka with slight annoyance that the girl is unable to properly say her serial number but chooses to ignore it seeing as the girl is simply trying to make it easier to understand Misaka."
'You know, I was gonna ask about the speech pattern, but this is oddly entertaining. Probably just a–what was it again? A chuunibyou?'
Despite focusing all of her attention on Academy City, Sarina did have other interests. One of which was watching japanese animations which helped her pick up a few japanese words and phrases; though that was as much as she could learn from it. Despite what people would have you believe, you can not learn an entire language solely by watching television.
But that wasn't what Sarina needed to focus on. Though they have been talking for a while, not once did Sarina learn the one thing she needed to know. "Anyway, I really gotta know, why are you here?"
"'Would you believe Misaka if the reasoning for her presence was due to Misaka being on vacation?' asks Misaks, attempting to avoid the girl's question.
"With how serious you said Academy City was about kidnappings? I doubt they would let you come all the way to another country by yourself just for a vacation" Replied Sarina. "Plus this place isn't really the ideal vacation spot."
"'You should take more pride in where you live,' says Misaka, disappointed in your lack of patriotism. `In fact, Misaka finds this town's atmosphere quite soothing compared to Academy City,' says Misaka as she takes in the air of the quiet and calm suburban neighborhood, now noticing that it really does lack anything of notable interest."
"See, you think it's boring too!" retorted Sarina. It was at this moment that the girl started to become irritated at Misaka's constant dismissal of her rather simple questions. "Ok, no more stalling! Why are you here?"
A resident of Academy City can't leave unless approved by the governing board, but even then, they only approve for specific reasons and will not make exceptions for something as simple as a vacation. So what was it that they allowed the girl with a number for a name to go to a completely different country?
"'That fledgling isn't ready to leave its nest yet,' Says Misaka, observing the wildlife to avoid answering the girl's question."
"Stop that! Stop ignoring my perfectly reasonable question! If you don't want to answer then just say so!" Sarina shouted, now losing her patience with the girl. What she said though got her curious.
Sarina moved her eyes up thet wooden fence and in the tall tree to find a bird's nest belonging to a white-throated swift. Inside the nest were baby birds who seemed to be near an age where they start to grow their feathers save for one that lacked the proper amount needed to leave the nest. If it jumped off at this stage in its life, it no doubt would meet a terrible demise.
"Though yeah, a fall from that height would be pretty bad," Sarina said observing nature run its course. "Anyway, why won't you answer me?"
"'How cruel. Are you willing to ignore the danger of an innocent baby bird falling to its death just so you can receive what you want?' Says Misaka, judging the girls lack of empathy for wildlife."
Sarina's heart tugged at the girl's accusation. It's not like she wasn't worried about the bird, but she was also getting impatient at her question being ignored. Even if it was a subject the resident didn't want to talk about, the least she could say was that she didn't want to answer. Yet she is actively dodging the question.
So why? Why dodge the question rather than answer?
"Y-Yeah, so what?! Besides, I read that you shouldn't get involved with a bird's nest even if you are trying to help them," Sarina said, crossing her arms and turning her head away from both Misaka and the baby bird. Misaka furrowed her brows, disappointed at the girl's uncaring nature towards life when suddenly the rustling of tiny twigs and chirping caught her attention.
She turned her head towards the bird's nest to find that the fledgling was getting ready to jump off the nest despite being too early for its first attempt at flight. It would no doubt spiral towards the pavement only being able to do so much with its lack of wings. Misaka positioned herself to try and catch the bird in hopes that she could prevent its untimely demise when something flashed right beside her.
Taking her sweater off and wrapping it around her arm, Sarina ran up and kicked off the fence to gain extra jumping height for her to grab onto a separate branch from the nest and reach her wrapped hand under the nest where the bird jumped off; Effectively catching the little fledgeling.
While not expressing it on her face, Misaka was amazed at Sarina's show of athleticism yet also surprised at her sudden change of mind. It was quite the contradictory behavior to save something you claim to have no concern for. Though that amazement soon subsided and was replaced by something else that she didn't openly show but one could tell by the words she spoke. "'Misaka thought you did not care for the wellbeing of the bird?' Says Misaka teasing the girl's contradictory behavior."
"Oh, shut up! I'm not the kind of person who would just let something get hurt because of her pride! Don't think so little of me! Also since when can you show emotion all of a sudden?! Sarian shouted while still maintaining her grip on the tree branch despite her embarrassed blush.
Crack
All fury and embarrassment immediately left Sarina as she slowly turned her head to the sudden yet ominous cracking of tree bark. Now that she was at a higher point in the tree, she got a good look at the trunk on the other side of the fence. Near the bottom of the tree were deep cuts into the trunk that came close enough for the tree to finally be cut down. Yet for some reason the owner didn't finish the job and left the tree as is, so now it stood idle by where enough weight could send it falling.
Such as the weight of a middle schooler holding onto one of the branches.
'Oh crap, Oh crap, Oh crap, OH CRAP!' Before Sarina had the chance safely to drop down herself, a sudden jolt from the tree beginning its descent caused her to lose focus and threw her off itself. Sarina wrapped her body around the sweater holding the fledgling in hopes of protecting it from the fall and braced herself for the hard concrete sidewalk. So long as the innocent bird was unharmed, then she was prepared to face the pain of falling. Sarina shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable impact.
Yet to her surprise, she felt no pain. While the branch she was holding onto wasn't high enough to hurt her if she landed properly, if she didn't prepare herself and lose focus, she could easily sustain a fatal injury. Yet something seemed to have broken her fall. Sarina opened her eyes to look for what it was that saved her only to find no sign of anyone in the vicinity; not even the girl who was teasing her earlier.
"'Misaka is relieved that the fledgling is uninjured, however the weight of your buttocks is crushing Misaka's ribcage and would appreciate it if you were to get off of Misaka,' Says Misaka having difficulty to speak due to the added extra weight on her."
"If you can speak that fluently then it isn't really suffocating now is it? Also, did you basically just call me fat?!"
Misaka managed to prevent Sarina from injuring herself by catching her, at least for a short period before her weight caused Misaka to collapse and fall on the pavement. For the most part, none of them were injured despite the reluctant saviors' complaints. Thankfully the same could be said about the bird's nest as all the fledglings took the next stage in their life and flew off the moment they could sense the tree coming down. Such a display even motivated the one wrapped in Sarinas' sweater to suddenly take flight as well. Perhaps it didn't need to be saved after all.
Though the girls needed to be.
"What the hell!?" An angered shout came from the other side of the fence where the tree was planted. The sudden noise alerted both the girls as they took a look at the fence to find a horrifying site. The impact from the collapse of the tree caused the trunk to break through the top half of the fence and leaned over the other side; The commotion must have alerted the residents. The girls couldn't see what the other side looked like, but it was something Sarina didn't want to find out.
Without a second thought, Sarina grabbed Misaka's hand and ran from the scene of the crime. While she didn't know the source of that voice personally, she could tell they weren't happy with their fence being broken. So the best thing she could think to do was run. She had no set destination, so her only concern was leaving no trace of their presence so the resident can't track them down.
As for the girl being dragged by Sarina's grasp and frantic running, she was oddly composed despite the situation and was even able to maintain her speed despite lugging around a guitar case on her back. She was saying something that Sarina couldn't hear over her own frantic breaths. In fact, she tuned out all other sounds as her sole focus was running away from potential trouble. Yet something else drove her to do such an action. Something that not even Sarina herself was aware of. The girl being pulled was doing the same though her focus was more on keeping up with Sarina as to not trip and fall. Neither of them even heard the sound of an object hitting the ground.
It wasn't until she started getting exhausted and slowing down that the two decided to catch their breaths. They ended up stopping in the part of the town where a majority of the shops are such as a supermarket, a bank, and a couple corporate fast food shops. It just so happened that this was the very destination Sarina was headed towards. Funny how life can work in such a way.
"'May…Misaka ask why you dragged Misaka…along in your escape when you were the one… who destroyed that person's fence?' Asks Misaka…sternly looking at the girl while…struggling to catch her breath.
Sarina glanced at the girl who still managed to speak in the third person despite her exhausted breathing. Which seemed odd seeing as she still maintained that same monotone and emotionless state while running yet she still expressed exhaustion here. It was the second time she managed to see her break out of that state and show emotion outside of her usual cold and indifferent expression that, oddly, didn't seem to match her personality. From what Sarina could tell, she was logical yet still showed concern for the smallest forms of life and wasn't afraid to speak her mind while enjoying playfully teasing others. It was something that intrigued Sarina and got her curious about the girl outside of being a resident of Academy City.
"Because if I just left you there, then they probably would have blamed you for it."
"'Hm, that is a reasonable explanation,' Says Misaka now understanding your sudden action. 'But why would you concern yourself with someone you've not only met recently, but seem to lose patience towards,' Says Misaka curious at the girl's string of conflicting actions. 'Though, based on your intentions from earlier, the idea that you did it to get in Misaka's favor seems to be the most plausible explanation,' Says Misaka analyzing the girls previous behavior."
"Oh come on, I said I was sorry! And I thought you were just teasing me about that?" Said Sarina as she slumped her head back and spoke with guilt and exhaustion in her voice. "Anyway that's not why I brought you with me. I just did it cause I'd feel bad about letting you take the blame."
"'And you were intending on taking responsibility for breaking that person's fence?' Asks Misaka, pointing out the clear hypocrisy in the girl's words."
"L-Let's forget about the fence for now!" Sarina, being the fourteen-year-old she is, tried to avoid facing the consequences of her actions by choosing to ignore them. Which didn't go unnoticed by Misaka but she decided to ignore it as well since the issue wasn't her responsibility. "Anyway, you really don't intend on telling me what you're doing here don't you?"
"'Seeing as you are so insistent on Misaka's reason for being here, the least Misaka could do is explain why Misaka cannot disclose that information,' says Misaka sighing as she caves into the desperate girls' question."
Sarina shifted her attempt at blissful ignorance to intrigued curiosity as she finally got an answer to a question she was curious about the most regarding the strange appearance of a resident of Academy City. Though there was one thing she wanted to make clear before that.
"Hey I'll take it, though can you please stop calling me 'the girl'? It's Sarina Gray, I told you my name when we first met."
"'Misaka understands,' Says Misaka trying to hide the fact Misaka forgot the gi–Sarina's name. 'Anyway, the reason Misaka cannot disclose the information you wish to know is because Misaka is on a confidential mission from Academy City,' Says Misaka."
That answer intrigued Sarina far more than she expected. Most people who come to Rinas town do so either to move in or simply stopping by for groceries since they're cheaper. But this girl was sent here by a city far more popular and advanced than a simple run of the mill town for a top secret mission.
"Ok now you have to tell me! What's the mission!?"
"'Misaka needs to confirm your password for security purposes,' Misaka states as she was instructed. 'ZXA865WDA723TYH103'"
Sarina was stumped by the girl's request for a password rather than denying her inquiry. She had no knowledge of a password but she didn't want to pass an attempt. "Umm…ACA4513YCI20259SCO15121?"
"'Password invalid,' Misaka states, denying you entry. 'Also, using the parts of the a1z26 cipher is not a viable method of encryption for confidential secrets. Especially when the password you used was academycityiscool1,' Says Misaka."
"Hey, it was worth a sho–," Sarina stopped herself and started to consider who the girl she was talking to was. Earlier she wrote her style of speech off as a chuunibyou tendency and her request for a password would no doubt be a part of it. There are many types of chuunibyou that are based solely on what the individual thinks is cool. It could be a punk gangster, a mad scientist, a dark lord, or, in what seems to be Misaka's case, a military soldier. So that brought a thought to Sarina she never had the chance to think about until now.
'Could her secret mission be a part of some game she's playing?'
It's not that Sarina didn't want to believe Misaka, but the more she thought about her story, the more holes she found in it. For starters, if academy city is going to send someone on a secret mission, why send a middle schooler? Even if she was an esper, Sarina doubted the city would want to risk losing her; no matter what that mission might be. Plus her attitude, while blunt and robotic, didn't convey the feeling that she had a set purpose in this town. What agent would take time away from their mission to worry about some birds?
But on the other hand, there is no doubt in Sarina's mind that this girl had a connection to Academy City. Even if she wasn't necessarily a resident, her resemblance to Mikoto Misaka was no coincidence. Plus, she seemed to have far more knowledge of the city than Sarina has seen online. But even those could still be part of her game.
'Should I trust what she says? If Academy City is the type of place that'll plant GPS trackers in its citizens, then maybe sending one of their students on an overseas mission wouldn't be too out of the ordinary for them. But now that I think about it, she doesn't really have proof that she's a resident and could just be using her resemblance to her sister to get attention,' Sarina thought in silence which confused the subject of her doubts until eventually the subject shrugged her shoulders and was prepared to take her leave.
"'It was an interesting experience to meet you,' says Misaka, breaking the silence. 'But Misaka must leave now to continue her mission. Goodbye,' Says Misaka walking away.
Misaka's sudden departure broke Sarina out of her doubts as she now started to worry about what their separation could mean. Whether she told the truth or not, she still had connections to Academy City and was Sarina's only chance to make it there. If they were to separate here, would Sarina lose her one chance out of this repetitive life? She didn't want that.
Sarina hated this part of herself, the part of her that will do whatever she can to achieve her goal. She genuinely didn't want to use Misaka as a means to an end, but she also didn't want to let her only connection to Academy City get away. The more the girl walked away, the more desperate Sarina became. Until finally, Sarina shouted the only thing she could think of that would make her stay.
"Can we be friends?!"
"Hm?"
Normally asking someone to be your friend was an innocent act and even encouraged among children Sarina's age. However, the two have only known each other for a short period of time and their first encounter was a rocky start due to Sarina's earlier attempt to get in her favor. But it was the only thing the desperate girl could think to do to catch Misaka's attention. Lucky for her, the question caught the girl's attention.
"'You want to be friends?' Asks Misaka, surprised by the girl's sudden request. 'Why the sudden bluntness for this Misaka's friendship? Or is this another attempt to get in Misaka's favor in hopes to get into Academy City?' Asks Misaka suspiciously.
That last sentence stung Sarina's heart strings, but what hurt more was that she wasn't wrong about her intentions again. Even if she apologized and Misaka forgave her, her first impression left an image on the girl that won't go away so easily. It was something Sarina couldn't change and regretted. But life isn't about what you can change, rather what you can do from here on that matters most. So Sarina decided to be upfront with why she wanted to form a connection with Misaka.
"I understand why you wouldn't trust me after that, and I truly am sorry for it. So I'm not gonna lie to you this time. It's my dream to go to Academy City and I am willing to do whatever I can to get there and meeting someone who lives there might be my one chance to do that," Sarina says shamefully, looking down before lifting her head up towards the girl she wanted to make amends with.
"But that doesn't mean I don't want to get to know you! Despite everything that's happened, I honestly had fun with you and I was hoping we could do this again and start over. Minus the falling off trees and running from the town residents part."
Sarina was honest to the girl and what her intentions were. While Misaka did serve as her one chance to arrive in the city of her dreams, she still wanted to understand the girl from that city and make one friend that she so desperately needed. It was an odd approach and could even backfire since Sarina still openly revealed her own selfish goals to the one person she wanted to be on good terms with.
"'You are an odd girl,' Misaka says. 'You're willing to use others to your benefit but apologize sincerely afterwards, you will make a statement yet contradict your words through your actions, and you run from confronting one responsibility only accept another one later,' Misaka says recalling your recent actions. 'It oddly reminds Misaka of someone, though Misaka has not personally met him,' Misaka says reflecting past experiences. 'Anyway, while Misaka does accept your apology as Misaka has never held any ill will from that. This will most likely be the last time we will see each other as Misaka only has three days to complete her mission,' Misaka states.
"O-Oh…ok," Sarina sulked at the girl's rejection but was in no place to object to it.
"However, Misaka is not necessarily against the idea,' Misaka says, not wanting to crush your attempt at reconciliation. 'Misaka is simply stating that her time here will be short so she will not be available to spend time with any new friends,' Misaka says, stating her reasoning."
"Uh, ok? What does that mean?"
"It simply means that while Misaka will be unable to socialize from here on, Misaka is not against being referred to as your friend,' Misaka answers the girl in hopes of cheering her up despite the circumstance."
It wasn't an immediate guarantee and provided a less likely opportunity to go to Academy City. What Misaka gave Sarina was essentially the equivalent of bragging rights she does not have any real proof of; Yet Sarina didn't mind that. Even if it wasn't an absolute that she'll get the chance to go to Academy City, she managed to gain a new friend. She was mostly glad that she managed to make up for trying to use the girl to her own benefit and start over. But a small part of her couldn't help but feel disappointed at the outcome. While she did make a new friend out of the girl, does leaving now really mean they'll never see eachother again? Was that an outcome she could accept?
"G-Great! I'm fine with at least calling you one. Should we exchange numbers then?"
"'Misaka will not be able to provide you a form of contact,' Says Misaka denying your offer. 'Misaka is not allowed to disclose contact information to those unaffiliated with Academy City unless given permission. Plus, Misaka does not have a phone,' Says Misaka stating her reasoning.
"Oh, then this really is the last time we'll see eachother huh?" Sarina said with disappointment in her tone at both the idea of the girl leaving and her having no no say in what Misaka should do with her time here. She overstepped her boundaries before and she didn't want to do that again, so she had to accept the outcome that she was given.
"'Most likely,' Says Misaka, telling the harsh truth."
There wasn't much Sarina could do to have the girl stay or exchange contact information. But the one thing could do was hold her head high and hope for the unpredictable future. "You know what, I'm gonna stay optimistic! I say we're gonna meet up again."
"'If you think so,' Says Misaka, doubting your words. 'Anyway Misaka must get going now. As Misaka has said, Misaka is on a time limit. So Misaka does not want to waste it,' Says Misaka wanting to officially end our conversation."
Even though Sarina had her doubts about the true nature of Misaka's reasoning for being in Rinas Town, she was still willing to play along with it. "R-Right yeah, don't want to keep you waiting on your mission."
With a final wave of goodbye, Misaka departed from the girl and went to continue her supposed secret mission. Sarina may have damaged her first impression, but she was able to bring it back up again and make a new friend in the end. While she still felt a speck of disappointment at potentially losing her one contact with the City she's longed for ever since discovering it, she settled for this outcome. It wasn't the best outcome she could hope for, but it was one she was happy with. As Sarina faced the opposite direction to find that sandwich shop she was planning to grab for dinner, something occurred to her that she hadn't noticed till now and wasn't even sure Misaka did either.
'Now that I think about it, wasn't she wearing goggles earlier?'