Doctor Kamui stalked down the sterile hallway of the research center, a scowl on her face. Her normally immaculate hair was coming out of its characteristic bun, and she had been too angry to bother fixing it.
Who the hell did the Director think he was? It was one thing to push Misaka to her breaking point, that was what the girl had come to them asking for in the first place, but today's experiment had bordered on torture, and Kamui was seething. A part of her realized that if she was reacting like this, then she was getting too attached to the girl. If it had just been that, she might have been able to take a step back and view the situation a little more objectively, but there was more to it.
Taking care of the Railgun after the experiments was supposed to be her job. It was what she had been told would be her primary duty during the experiments, as well as keeping a painstaking record of the young level five's vitals. It was an important duty, and she had been more than happy to accept it. However, she was beginning to suspect she wasn't being allowed to do her job properly, and that infuriated her.
The door to the Director's office was as unassuming as any other in the facility. The door opened with a hiss, and Kamui stormed into the office like a thundercloud. She'd never been particularly good at controlling her temper, and she didn't intend to start now.
The Director didn't even bother to look up as she entered, seemingly absorbed in a document he was reading.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she practically shouted, slamming her hands down on his desk and glaring at the man. He was older than her, but not yet out of his middle age. His face was lined and his black hair had begun to grey at the temples, but his eyes were bright and sharp.
He turned his eyes to her, and Kamui felt some of her rage being sapped away as she fought to keep herself from wilting under his calculating gaze.
"And to what might you be referring, Doctor Kamui," he said at length, setting aside the document he had been examining. Kamui idly noted that it was a printout of the energy readings Misaka had given off during the experiment, and some of her anger returned.
"Misaka-san, what else?" she said. "You had me pulled out of the infirmary before I had a chance to do anything more than give her the most basic of treatment. On top of that, you let Corrin of all people run the experiment tonight. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I have nothing but the utmost confidence in Doctor Corrin's abilities," the Director said with an air of dismissal that only served to fuel the fires of her rage.
"The man is a sociopath, and you essentially put him in charge of a torture session. Why didn't you at least give me the chance to treat her properly? For all we know, she could be dead in an alley somewhere in the city and then all of this would have been for nothing!"
The Director smiled a knowing smile that sent a chill down Kamui's spine. "Rest assured, Misaka Mikoto will be fine. I can personally guarantee that she is not currently in any danger."
It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did Kamui bristled. "You're having her watched?"
"Of course," the Director said. "That girl is one of our most valuable assets. I can't simply let her wander around unsupervised."
A sense of unease was beginning to creep into Kamui's chest. "And the treatment?"
The Director sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, weary of her questions. "You can be quite hopeless sometimes, Doctor. I had hoped you would have figured it out on your own. What, exactly, do you imagine our purpose is in all of this?"
"That's..." Truth be told, she hadn't really put much thought into it. The chance to observe a level five in action was something she had only ever dreamed of, and to be able to do it in such a controlled environment opened all sorts of opportunities. Beyond that, she hadn't really thought about what the Director hoped to achieve. "It's a good chance to... to observe a level five in a controlled, measured environment."
He simply shook his head in disappointment. "Doctor Kamui, I thought you would be able to be a little more imaginative here. If all I wanted was to observe a level five in a test environment, I could have paid the fourth ranked esper to come in; money has always been her weakness. Even number two can be swayed for the right price. On top of that, most of the data we could gain from that kind of observation is available in the Bank already. No, this is different. She came to us, Doctor. Don't you realize what that means?"
Kamui didn't reply. She simply stared at him, filled with a growing sense of dread.
"It means that she's desperate," he said when she remained silent. "It means she needs us, and that is a chance I am not willing to pass up. The mess left by the failure of the level six shift program has tied up some of Academy City's major players, and now we have the Railgun all to ourselves. She needs us to get stronger, or at least, she thinks she does. All to protect her darling little clones." He laughed, a cold derisive laugh that made Kamui shiver. "It's almost pathetic, really, but it works out perfectly for us."
"What do you mean?"
"Level six may be the ideal that everyone in Academy City is striving for, but for all practical purposes, level five is the pinnacle of this city's power. The curriculum development program has only managed to produce seven level fves. Naturally, standing so far above their peers has given these seven especially gifted espers the illusion that they are indestructible, that they can rely on their own power for anything."
A light blinked on the Director's desk and he paused, frowning, before continuing. "However, Misaka-san has been shown time and time again over the last year that the power she wields is not enough. She couldn't save her clones, she couldn't destroy the facilities, she couldn't defeat Accelerator, nor end the experiments on her own. Her faith in her power has been shattered, but she doesn't know what else to do. So, she came to us in the hopes that we could help make her stronger. Her desperation gives us a unique opportunity to observe a level five under duress, an opportunity I don't believe anyone else in the city has had."
Kamui could hardly believe her ears. "You... you pulled me from the infirmary just so she wouldn't receive proper treatment, didn't you?"
"Of course," he replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A full recovery immediately after the experiment would defeat the purpose."
"But she's just a child!" she screamed, feeling disgusted. "She's not even out of middle school. How can you manipulate her like that?"
"Misaka Mikoto is not a child," the Director said, his voice hard. "She is the third ranked level five in Academy City, an esper created for the sole purpose of advancing our research. She is a test subject, and nothing more. If you can't control your emotional response, then you will be removed from your position. I have tolerated your outburst thus far because you are a gifted physician and an important asset to this facility, but if this continues then I will relieve you of your position here. Do I make myself clear."
She opened her mouth to argue, but something in his tone told her that she should stay silent. Her mouth closed with a click, and she nodded.
"Good," he said, smiling at her and leaning back. "If you'll excuse me then, I have something I must attend to with some urgency. Please try not to worry yourself over Misaka-san. It's not in our best interest for her to get herself killed, after all. She will be fine."
"Of course," Kamui said through pursed lips before spinning and walking out of his office as quickly as she could.
Once back in her examination room, she let out a sigh. She had little doubt the Director would carry out his threat if she persisted in making a scene. The last thing she wanted was to be out of a job, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to look Misaka-san in the eye the next time she saw her. That is, if they even bothered to let her treat her at all.
Her insides squirmed as her guilt clashed against her professionalism and curiosity. As much as she was loath to admit it, the situation the Director had presented did provide a number of unique opportunities. Still, she didn't like it.
The monitor on her console flickered to life as she powered up the computer. She pulled up Misaka-san's file and began reading. If she couldn't help the girl, then the least she could do was see if she could figure out exactly what the Director's intentions for her were.
"Touma! ToumaToumaToumaaaa!"
"Gah! Index, calm down!"
Kamijou Touma held the receiver away from his ear as his dependant shouted into the phone. His ear was ringing and he thought he might have ruptured the eardrum. Index was bad enough when he was expecting her.
It took her a moment, but his roommate finally seemed to gather herself.
"Where are you?" Touma asked, checking the time. "I expected you to be back by the time I got home. Did you get lost again?"
"No! I mean, yes, but that's your fault! Anyway, I found Short-Hair sleeping on a bench!"
It took Touma a moment to realize who Index was talking about. "Eh? Biribiri? What's she doing sleeping outside? Isn't it past curfew?"
"I don't know," Index replied, and Touma tensed when he recognized the concern in her voice, "I think she might be hurt, she won't wake up no matter how many times I poke her!"
Touma cursed under his breath. Misaka wasn't the kind of girl to get hurt easily. He'd been on the receiving end of her power enough times now to know just how tough she was when she really got going. There were only a few people that he could think of that could actually stand up to her in a fight, and if she'd been fighting them then something had gone terribly wrong.
"Can you tell how hurt she is?"
"Um, well, she wasn't bleeding or anything that I could see, but she wouldn't wake up, and her breathing was a little labored," Index replied, the tension in her voice crystal clear.
"Okay, good," Touma replied, feeling somewhat relieved. As long as she wasn't bleeding to death or anything she would probably be fine. "Do you know where you are? I'll come get you and we can take care of Birbiri then."
"Ahhh..."
Touma sighed as Index trailed off. If she didn't even know where she was there wasn't much he could do to help. He was just about to tell Index to hang up and call for an ambulance when he heard a clamor and Index spoke again.
"We're by the park!" she said, breathing heavily.
"Okay," Touma said, grabbing his keys and slipping on his shoes. "Stay there and keep an eye on her. I'll be there as soon as I can."
He hung up without waiting for a reply and took off down the stairs, pausing only briefly to make sure the door was locked behind him.
As he ran, he tried to think of a reason Misaka would have wound up asleep and apparently injured on a park bench after curfew. His mind conjured up images of one of the Misaka clones, beaten almost beyond recognition, more blood on the walls and pavement around her than in her body. He forced the image away with grimace. They had put an end to that, and besides, Index had said she didn't look like she was in any immediate danger.
That didn't stop him from running as fast as he could all the way to the park.
When Mikoto finally awoke, it took her a moment to realize she was lying in a bed. A moment after that she realized there was a cat curled up on her chest, fast asleep.
'I must have been more exhausted than I thought.'
Under normal circumstances, it would have taken a great deal of coaxing to get an animal to approach her. The fact that this one was sleeping so peacefully meant that she had drained herself to such a degree that the electric field that surrounded her at all times had dulled to the point the cat couldn't notice it.
She shifted her arm so she could sit up on her elbow, wincing at the motion, and tried to get an idea of where she was. Gentle, grey light filtered in through a nearby window, and she glanced at a clock glowing on a shelf across the room. It was just past five in the morning. Mikoto couldn't help but shudder. Kuroko was going not going to be happy when she got back to the dorm.
Taking another look around, she realized she was in a dorm room, though certainly not hers. She didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened. On the one hand, it was a good thing she hadn't wound up in the hospital. If she had, the doctors would have been obligated to notify Tokiwadai, and that would have raised a whole slew of questions she didn't want to answer. On the other hand though, that meant that someone had found her, presumably still collapsed on that bench, and decided to bring her back to their dorm. There were only a few reasons anyone would do that.
A quick check confirmed she was still wearing all her clothes, and she let out a sigh of relief, some of the tension easing from her chest. She was sore all over, but it didn't seem like anything had happened while she'd been unconscious.
She heard mumbling from beside the bed, causing her to start. The cat opened its eyes and mewled in annoyance, hopping off her chest and onto the floor, curling up next to a lump hidden under a pile of blankets. Blue hair poked out from beneath the blankets, and Mikoto frowned. That hair looked familiar.
The sound of a sink running drew her away from the strangely familiar form of the girl sleeping on the floor, and Mikoto turned just in time to see an unmistakable head of messy black hair peek around the corner. She made a choking sound, clutching the blankets to her chest as she felt the blood rushing to her face.
"Y-you! W-w-w-what are you doing here?"
He favored her with a slightly bemused expression. "Good to see you're up," he said after a moment, tiptoeing around the sleeping girl and taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Mikoto drew her feet away from him, trying to hide her embarrassment. "As for why I'm here, this happens to be my dorm."
It took the wheels in Mikoto's head a moment to get turning. It felt as though they were encrusted with rust; her brain was simply incapable of processing what he had said. It was reasonable, probable even, given the circumstances, but she was having a hard time processing it.
'I'm in his house I'm in his house I'm in his house I'm in his house...'
"You look a little red there, Biribiri, are you still feeling under the weather?" He moved to touch his hand to her forehead and she shrunk away.
"I'm f-fine!" she said, her heart pounding in her chest. It seemed that even exhausted as she was, his presence was still enough to fluster her. "And for the last time, it's Misaka Mikoto!"
"Right, right," he said with a small grin, holding his hands up in a placating manner. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, that's all. Index found you passed out on a bench last night. We were worried you might have been hurt. I carried you back here when I got there, since it didn't look like you were in any real danger"
Her face burned at the thought of him worrying about her, and even more than that actually carrying her, but after a moment she was able to get herself under control.
"W-who's Index?"
"Ah, that would be the sleepyhead curled up on the floor there," Touma said, gesturing to the sleeping girl. She mumbled something that sound suspiciously like "Touma" and "feed me" and the black-haired boy's shoulders slumped.
Mikoto finally remembered where she had seen the girl before. She had been there in the underground mall during the terrorist attack months ago, and again she had seen her at the Daihaseisai. A part of her was screaming to ask what the girl was doing in his house, but she forced that thought down. She didn't have the energy for the the direction she thought that conversation might lead.
"Well, I'm fine," she replied at last, not meeting his eyes. "I just got a little tired and thought I'd take a nap, that's all. I must have overslept a little."
The lie sounded pathetic to her ears, and she knew the instant it was out of her mouth there was no way he would buy it.
"You don't really strike me as the type of girl to take naps out on the street," he said. "I know you're a level five and all that, but sleeping out in public like that still doesn't sound like such a great idea. Are you sure those burns and bruises you've got on your arms and legs don't have anything to do with it?"
Mikoto averted her gaze, but didn't speak.
"Thought so," Touma said with a heavy sigh, running his hand through his unkempt hair. He shifted so he was sitting cross legged on the bed, and Mikoto noticed for the first time that he had a small first aid kit with him. He opened it, removing a small bottle of antiseptic and a roll of bandages.
"Can you sit up?"
"I can take care of myself," Mikoto snapped, trying to ignore the fact that she sounded like a petulant child. Part of her was thrilled at the idea of letting him take care of her, while another, louder part, refused to accept it.
"Trust me, I know, but I'd like to get your burns treated or they might get infected," he said, dabbing a cloth to the bottle. "If that happens, you might actually have to go to the hospital."
Mikoto flinched at the thought, and she could feel Touma's eyes on her as she did. After a moment of silence, she relented, offering her arms to him. He took her arm gently in his hands, muttering a warning before he applied the antiseptic. Mikoto tensed at the stinging sensation, but made no sound.
She had intended to apply bandages to her fresh injuries once she had arrived back at the dorm. Doctor Kamui had been called away after she had done a cursory inspection, apologizing to Mikoto and rushing off to take care of who-knows-what.
Of all the people that worked at that facility, she was the only one Mikoto could actually say she liked, but there was something about the woman that seemed a little off. Mikoto couldn't help but feel that she seemed distracted much of the time. She was always kind, and seemed genuinely concerned for Mikoto's well-being, but she always seemed as though she was expecting bad news at any moment.
"Don't suppose you feel like sharing how you got all beat up this time, eh, Biribiri?" Touma said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"It's... none of your business," Mikoto replied, hanging her head and letting her bangs hide her face.
"I thought you'd probably say that," Touma said with a sigh. "It's not a bad thing to rely on other people once in a while though, you know? Your friends care about you, and I'm sure they don't want to see you get hurt. What would Shirai-san say if she had been the one to find you passed out on the street?"
Mikoto said nothing. That wasn't something she wanted to think about, though a nagging voice in the back of her mind pointed out that she was just avoiding the problem. What would have happened if that girl hadn't found her? Academy City was reasonably safe, or as reasonably as it could be considering it was populated by super-powered children, but it still wasn't a good idea for a young woman to go sleeping outside. Kuroko would be horrified if she knew, as would her other friends. The thought of the looks on their faces if something had happened to her made her chest seize up and her heart skip a beat.
Strong, gentle hands brushed against her skin as Touma applied the bandages, and Mikoto had to fight to keep herself from pulling away. She could feel her cheeks burning at the contact, and was grateful he seemed too focused on her arms to notice her blushing.
He was always doing this, coming to her rescue, even without her needing to say a thing. He had saved her from an impossible situation once before, and had helped her on more than one occasion since.
'Why?' she asked herself, guilt rising in her chest. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. 'Why do you keep helping me? I've never been able to be any help to you, so what makes you rush to my rescue again and again?'
It didn't make any sense to her, and her guilt only grew. But in addition to that, Mikoto felt a deep sense of shame. Despite her best efforts, despite everything she was putting herself through to help her sisters, it wasn't enough. He had done more for them than she ever could. He had saved them from that nightmare when the only solution she had been able to see was to offer up her own life and hope it was good enough. He was their saviour, not her.
"There," he said at last, leaning back and wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "That should do for now. You have a few more that should get attention, but the ones on your arms were the worst, and I uh, didn't want to get too intimate."
Mikoto was hardly listening, instead looking at the bandages he had wrapped around the burns on her arms. She could still remember the smell of her skin burning and the painful prickling as the skin began to crack and peel. The memory made her shiver, but it didn't hurt now. He had done a good job.
"How do you do it?"
Touma blinked, tilting his head. "Eh, do what?"
"You always manage to save everyone." Mikoto's eyes were hidden behind her bangs. She didn't trust herself not to break down if he could see her face. "I tried so hard to save them, but it wasn't good enough. They just kept dying. I had prepared myself to die, and then you came along and just solved everything."
Mikoto had to take a few deep breaths before continuing.
"Her too, right?" she said, gesturing towards the sleeping form of Index. "She said you saved her life. I bet she didn't have to ask you, did she? And then there was that time with the terrorist in the underground mall, and who knows how many other incidents. You always seem to be able to save everyone, while I can't do a thing. So I'm asking you, how do you do it?"
Touma was silent for a long moment, watching Mikoto's trembling form. He hadn't seen her like this since that time on the bridge.
"Who knows?" he said at last. "Most of the time, I think I just get lucky. Other times, it's because I can rely on the people around me to carry the slack when I mess it up. I never would have been able to win most of my fights without help."
Mikoto clenched her hands into fists. He made it sound so easy.
"In the end, I guess it really just comes down to the fact that I'd rather suffer myself than see any of my friends get hurt," he said, offering Mikoto a small smile. "So if you're in trouble again, don't think you have to handle it all by yourself."
That brought a small smile to Mikoto's face. "You sound just like my friends."
"Really? Well, I would like to consider myself one of your friends too, so I guess it only makes sense," Touma said, leaning back on his hands. "I can tell you're getting yourself involved in something again, but if you don't want to tell me what it is then I'm not going to pry."
"This, coming from the guy who went sneaking around in my room and digging through my stuff the last time he thought I was in trouble?"
"Ah, well, that was... a little bit different," Touma said, backing away ever so slightly.
"Sure," Mikoto said with a mock glare. "Well, you did help me out that time, so I guess I can forgive you."
Touma chuckled, careful to keep his voice down. "Well, that's a relief. I certainly don't need you angry at me."
They shared a moment of comfortable silence. Outside, the sun was beginning to poke its face above the gleaming skyline, bringing with it all the sights and sounds of a city waking up.
"Your sisters," Touma said after a few minutes of silence, his voice serious, "are they in trouble again?"
Mikoto stiffened, her hands curling into fists. She had to force herself to relax before she could reply. "No. They're fine, at least as far as I know. I don't see them all that often anyway, but I haven't heard anything, so they must be doing alright."
Touma frowned. "Then what's this all about? I know I said I wasn't going to pry, but I am worried, you know? It's hard to imagine what else could get you in this state." He gestured towards Mikoto's bandaged arms and she pulled back, wrapping them around herself.
"Those girls... they call me "Onee-sama" right? Like I'm some sort of figure they can look up to," she gave a derisive snort. "Even still, I wasn't able to protect them. Every time they get in trouble, I have to rely on someone else to save them. I'm ranked third of all the espers in Academy City, but it's not good enough. I'm not good enough, strong enough. I need to be stronger, otherwise this will keep happening. People will keep trying to take advantage of them just because of what they are. I can't keep letting it happen."
Mikoto didn't know why she was saying all this. Maybe it was because he already knew about the Sisters, maybe it was because she thought he deserved to know, or maybe it was simply because she trusted him. Whatever the case, now that she had started talking, she couldn't stop.
"Before, they just accepted that their fate was to die. Like that was something totally normal. I thought once the experiments were done they would be able to live normal lives. That doctor told me he could work on fixing the damage that was done to them, make them more normal."
Touma stayed silent while Mikoto spoke, not wanting to interrupt her. She was silent for a long moment before she spoke again.
"I just want them to have that," Mikoto said at last. "I want them to be able to rely on me, like a real big sister."
On the floor, Index shifted, pulling the blanket over her head and startling Sphynx out of his slumber. Touma watched, transfixed, as Mikoto wiped a tear from her eye. It had been a long time since he had seen her cry. His expression melted into a smile, and he reached out and tousled her hair.
"H-hey!" Mikoto said with a start, shrinking back from the touch. "W-what are you doing?"
"Don't worry so much. Those girls, I'm sure they know they can count on you for anything. They worry about you too, and I know they don't hold what they've been through against you, no matter what you might think. If you ask me, they couldn't have asked for a better big sister than you."
Mikoto stared wide-eyed, heat rising in her cheeks.
"I...idiot."
In general, mornings and Ruiko did not see eye to eye. Mornings tended to be bright and beautiful, full of vibrance and energy. Ruiko, meanwhile, enjoyed sleep. Given the choice, she would sleep through every beautiful sunrise, shutting out the sunlight and birdsong and smashing her alarm clock into a million indistinguishable pieces.
Unfortunately, it wasn't up to her.
Ruiko yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she walked down the early morning streets of Academy City on her way to Uiharu's dorm. The previous night's trip to the hospital had been a bust. She should have known they would arrive long after visiting hours were over, but in her enthusiasm she hadn't even thought about it. She'd been ready to try to sneak into the girl's room, but Uiharu had been firmly against it.
That was probably for the best though, if Ruiko really thought about it. She didn't really want to disturb an injured person's sleep, after all. She'd just been so excited by the prospect of finding out what was wrong with Misaka-san that she had gotten a little bit of tunnel vision. Certainly not the first time that had happened, though she liked to tell herself that it was a necessary quality for someone that spent so much time urban legend hunting.
The air was just beginning to warm as the sun settled into its path high overhead. The bright rays on her skin sent a pleasant warmth flooding through her body, and Ruiko smiled. Normally, she didn't like to get up early on the weekends, but she had suggested to Uiharu they should continue their sleuthing first thing in the morning, and her friend had been quick to agree. On top of that, Uiharu had sent her a message earlier in the morning that Shirai-san planned on trying to convince Misaka-san to join them for a get together on Sunday. All in all, she was in high spirits.
Her smile changed to a look of confusion when she spotted a familiar form standing walking out of a nearby dormitory. She stopped walking, simply staring for a moment as her mind worked to process what she was seeing. It took her a moment to realize who it was. When she did, she almost gasped.
'That's Misaka-san! I almost didn't recognize her without her uniform!'
Indeed, without her usual Tokiwadai school uniform, it had taken Ruiko a moment to match her friend's features with the mental image she held of her. She'd never seen Misaka-san wear anything other than her school uniform. It was a little strange, but now that she knew who she was, it was hard to believe she had almost not recognized her.
Just as Ruiko raised her hand in greeting, preparing to call out to her friend, another voice called out, and a boy with spiky black hair wearing a uniform she didn't recognize appeared from a nearby stairwell.
"Hey, Biribiri, wait up."
Ruiko didn't hear the rest of the exchange. she was frozen in place, eyes wide.
'Did... did he just call Misaka-san... Biribiri?'
The pair exchanged a few more words, and when Misaka-san's cheeks tinged pink and she rubbed at her arm, looking down at the ground in what Ruiko was certain was the most adorable display of embarrassment she had ever seen, she thought she was going to faint.
Several minutes passed before Ruiko was able to form a coherent thought again, minutes she spent rooted to the concrete of the sidewalk with an expression of disbelief plastered across her face. When she came to, she found that both Misaka-san and the mysterious boy she had been talking to had disappeared.
Slowly, she resumed walking, doing her best to process what she had just scene. Misaka-san, coming out of a dormitory, that was most certainly not her own, early in the morning. Misaka-san, wearing clothes that Ruiko had never seen her wear before. Misaka-san, talking to a boy!
Ruiko had spent a lot of time teasing Shirai-san about the possibility of Misaka-san having a boyfriend. She was at that age, after all, and she was both pretty and talented. Surely she had a lot of potential suitors. But Ruiko had never really thought Misaka-san actually had a secret boyfriend, let alone one that she was sneaking off to meet with, one that called her by pet names even!
Resisting the immediate urge to grab her phone and call Uiharu was almost painful. The big, goofy grin, that had spread across her face the moment she realized she had caught a glimpse of Misaka-san talking to her boyfriend of all things, was starting to make her cheeks hurt, but Ruiko paid it no mind. She wanted desperately to tell someone, Uiharu or Shirai-san or even Akemi or Mako. The monumental nature of the event she had just witnessed made her feel as though she would explode if she kept it in.
But Misaka-san hadn't told them about him, hadn't told anyone about him as far as she knew, and that was a sobering thought. She had to have a good reason for not telling them. Maybe she was embarrassed, or maybe she didn't think they would get along. Of course, there was also the chance she just didn't want to have to deal with Shirai-san's reaction. Ruiko couldn't help but wince at the thought of the scene that particular revelation would cause.
Still, it didn't sit right with her. She wasn't going to go and spread Misaka-san's secret if she wanted to keep it a secret, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to have a few questions for her friend the next time she saw her.
"Misaka-san, you've got some explaining to do," Ruiko sang with a cheshire grin.
A/N: First of all, a huge thanks to everyone that reviewed after the last chapter. I was very surprised by the amount of positive feedback, and I'm glad to see people generally think I'm doing a good job. Please, keep reviewing! It makes me happy.
This chapter is out a bit faster than usual, though not as fast as I thought. The first scene wasn't very fun to write, and that was the part I needed to work on. The rest of the chapter was written with the last one, so that didn't take as much time. Still, I can be pretty lazy, so it took a bit.
As for how the chapter came out, I have mixed feelings. I think the dialogue sections turned out well enough, at least. I still feel a little icky about the opening scene, since it's sort of an info dump, but I couldn't think of many good ways to do it without having that kind of scene. Still, I think it turned out alright, all things considered.
The scene with Mikoto and Touma was something I knew I needed to do for the story, but really didn't want to write. I wanted to try to avoid seeming too serious, but when those two get together and have a serious conversation, it's gonna get a little sappy. I just think it's in their characters for it to end up that way, but it doesn't make it much easier to write.
Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate all the support!