Touma threw a banana peel into the rubbish bin before entering the classroom. It was not by accident that he would slip on a banana peel on his way to morning classes. He was just a boy cursed with misfortune wherever he goes.

"I hope you like it." A girl named Risa said before she handed a bento box to Touma with an embarrassed tinge of red on her face.

"Thanks." Touma said.

Risa was someone he saved from a gang of arrogant espers who enjoyed tormenting lower-leveled espers like Risa. Ever since that incident, she had been giving bentos to him as thanks from time to time.

He placed the bento box on his table, and took a bite of a crispy tempura ebi with a smile.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the copycat with the same spiky hairstyle as him but blonde instead of black, stretched his arms as he let out a sigh, "Yet another girl has fallen victim to the Kami-yan disease. Kami-yan, you call yourself misfortunate, but I can't see anything misfortunate about having girls fawn over you for no reason."

"That's right." Aogami Pierce, the resident blue-haired pervert, added. "You can count on Kami-yan to make even a wicked grandmother fall deeply in love with him."

"Aogami, please don't tell me that even wicked grandmothers happen to fall within your area of acceptance as well." Touma said.

Pierce chuckled, "Any females are within my area of appearance. Of course wicked grandmothers are included as well. In fact, I wonder how would it feel like to do it with a wicked grandmother."

Touma stuffed a spoonful of rice into Pierce's mouth, "Repent for what you've said."

Tears streamed down Pierce's cheeks, "That was the most delicious rice I've ever tasted!"

Motoharu skeptically took a spoonful of rice. Tears streamed down his cheeks as well. "Kami-yan, you are indeed blessed by the god of misfortune when it comes to things other than girls falling heads over heels for you."

Touma sighed. "That's not true at all."

Motoharu gave a quick glance at the window, "I guess all depends on how you see it."

Even Motoharu must have noticed the 'spy' on the rooftop of a building across their school with binoculars.

"When will my dream nadeshiko lady with an onee-san type body ever appear? Such misfortune." Touma said.

"You're chasing an impossible ideal, Kami-yan. Give up and accept the reality that life is never going to be perfect." Motoharu said.

Touma continued eating his bento.

Life wasn't always going to be perfect, but wouldn't it be nice if people could just live their lives normally without any worries of getting killed the next second because of some irresponsible magicians or espers abusing their powers? Was that really too much to ask for?


On the rooftop of a building across Touma's school, Mikoto observed a flustered Touma with her binoculars who seemed to be explaining something to a pink- haired… child?

According to her investigations, this child was his form teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe.

Earlier this morning, she had hacked into the Bank and various other systems in the city to dig up information regarding Touma.

After his disappearance four years ago, he magically re-appeared at a hospital in Academy City about three months ago, and started his high school life not long after.

Mikoto looked at the Gekota keychain attached to her phone. A spiky-haired boy who was undoubtedly Touma returned it to the nearest Judgement branch last night.

"If that idiot believes that I'm only a mere stranger to him, then I'll first shatter that illusion of his."

Touma was now reading a letter of admission into Misawa Cram School given to him by his teacher.

Given his abysmal score on tests throughout his entire three months in high school, he should have seen it coming.

Mikoto laid down on the concrete. It was partially her fault for being too focused on reaching Level 5 that she failed to notice Touma's reappearance. Even after reaching Level 5, she was still waiting like an idiot for Touma to appear on his own when he doesn't remember anything. Just what happened to Touma? Why did he lose his memories? If only his medical records wasn't locked behind an S grade firewall.

A female face with silver, twinkling stars as eyes blocked her view of the sky.

"Fancy meeting you here." The girl said.

"What are you doing at the rooftop anyway?" Mikoto said. This girl was clearly Misaki's mind-controlled puppet.

"I was just wondering what were you up to. Spying on your boyfriend? I suppose you have every right to be insecure. He's a chick magnet after all. If I'm not wrong, those boys from his school calls it the Kami-yan disease."

"He's not my boyfriend."

Misaki laughed, "But the both of you were holding hands and kissing. If he's not your boyfriend, then what are you to him? A disposable object to fulfill his loneliness?"

Mikoto clenched her fists as she struggled to keep herself from striking that poor girl under Misaki's control with lightning. "It's complicated and I don't think I owe you any explanation regarding our relationship."

"Such a shame he doesn't remember you at all."

"You better not be the one behind it."

Touma had the Imagine Breaker and so was immune to Misaki's ability, but Mikoto knew better not to underestimate Misaki.

"Don't worry, my Mental Out is not powerful enough to tamper with his memories… yet."

Electricity danced around Mikoto's body. "What exactly are you planning?!"

"Just kidding."

"No matter what you're up to, I'll stop you from changing him!" Mikoto shouted at the girl who did a cutesy pose before leaping off the rooftop.


Mikoto smiled wistfully while hiding behind a streetlamp. "You're still the same person inside even though you no longer remember anything."

In that two hours, Touma slipped on a banana four times, missed the bus six times and got his wallet stolen by somebody. While the banana was him being unlucky, he missed the bus for the sixth time because he went all the way to help a small boy find his toy gun.

Even if he lost all his memories, at least he still remembered somewhere about the pain of being misfortunate. That was why he kept on playing the hero to save strangers even if it costed him his life.

She would not allow that selfish bitch to completely erase that part of Touma with her Mental Out and turn him into her personal meat slave.

"Onee-sama. What are you doing?"

Mikoto turned behind in shock to see Kuroko.

"No-Nothing in particular."

"So you skipped classes because of him?"

Kuroko aimed her Judgement scanner device at Touma waving goodbye to the small boy who finally found his toy gun. "He does have a rather interesting ability, but what relationship do you have with this guy for you to be stalking him for the last two hours or so?"

"Were you stalking me as well?"

"I was just simply worried ab-"

"Look." Touma said, unamused. "Let's stop following each other alright? By the way Miss Judgement, this Level 5 over there has been following me for four hours with about an hour break, not two. Is there anyway you could arrest her for harassment?"

"Ha-Harassment?!" Mikoto said. "You don't know how great of a danger you are in now!"

"I do. You're the danger I'm in now, Biribiri."

Mikoto bit her lip as Touma's words plucked a string in her heart that forced her tears to well up slightly.

She composed herself, careful not to burst into tears. "Who's Biribiri. I have a proper name, you know. It's Misaka Mikoto."

"Unfortunately sir, Judgement are not authorized to arrest Level 5s on their own without backup from Anti-Skill." Kuroko said. "I will however, try and persuade her to stop following you."

While Mikoto tried her best to hold the tears back, some of it managed to escape and rolled down her cheeks as Kuroko dragged her away.


In a park near a certain vending machine, Mikoto slotted a few coins into the machine and pressed the button for soda twice. Two cans of soda tumbled out soon after.

"Onee-sama. What's wrong? Is he the reason why you cried in your sleep last night? I'll punish him for being so insolent to my onee-sama!" Kuroko said. That boy must be affecting Mikoto a lot if she wasn't in her usual 'zapper' mode where she would illegally zap that vending machine for free drinks.

Mikoto stared at her soda can. "What if I've totally forgotten all about you for some reason or another. How would you feel?"

"Onee-sama…?"

Mikoto hugged Kuroko.

Kuroko smiled as she patted Mikoto's back, "Of course I would feel sad, but the onee-sama I know wouldn't give up that easily. Even if you can't get his memories back, what's stopping you from making new memories with him?"

Mikoto stood up and wiped her tears, "You're right. I can't just sit here and keep crying about something that I can't change."

"That's the spirit." Kuroko said. That was why she loved and admired Mikoto so much. After all, Misaka Mikoto was someone who never gave up and succeeded in reaching Level 5 despite the incredibly low odds.


Touma scratched his head as he opened up a map on his phone. "Where could that Misawa Cram School be?"

A notification popped out, informing him that the map has encountered an unknown error.

"Such misfortune…"

Perhaps it was karma for making Mikoto cry. He was too used to calling Mikoto with that nickname.

A girl with a blonde hair approached him from behind. " Do you happen to be a student of Misawa Cram School?"

She was wearing a brown vest with a prominent crest at the left side. No doubt this was Tokiwadai Middle School's uniform, but that school was one of the top five schools in District 7. Why would an elite student, especially one with star-shaped irises, choose to go to a cram school?

"Yes. Are you lost by any chance?" Touma said.

The girl giggled, "No. I'm just here to lend a helping hand since you seem lost. I'm a student there as well and I know how difficult it is for first-timers to reach the place."

"How'd you know that? You can read minds?"

"Touma. I don't have to read minds to know that you're lost. Your expression gave it all away."

"Wait..."

The girl handed him a piece of paper, "That's yours, I believe."

His letter of admission into Misawa Cram School had fallen out of his briefcase. That totally must be how she knew his name.

"Thanks."

The girl wrapped her arm around Touma. "Let's go!"

"What's your name by the way?" Touma said.

"You can call me Misaki."

"The Level 5 Shokuhou Misaki?"

Misaki nodded. "You know, I used to know a guy who looked exactly just like you. Every evening, I would hold his arm like this while walking back home together. It's such a shame how things has changed."

"What a coincidence. I used to know a girl who looked exactly just like you. Every evening, she would also hold my arm like this."

"Could you actually be that guy I used to know?"

"It can't be that of a coincidence, right?"

Both Misaki and Touma chuckled.

It had been so long since they locked arms together while walking, but these small bits of happiness was something a sinner like him never deserved to have.


Turns out that Misawa Cram School was four tall buildings connected by a few skyways that was hardly distinguishable from the rest of the other corporate buildings located in the area. No wonder Misaki said that it was difficult for first-timers to locate the cram school. As expected, the both of them were in the same class.

As Touma entered the classroom with Misaki, he was surprised to see only one girl seated in the middle row.

She seemed to be glaring at him with sparks of electricity fluttering out of her hair. A crackling sound of electricity reverberated through the windowless classroom that looked more like an air-conditioned office cubicle.

"Oh. It's just Biribiri... Wait what?!"

Mikoto tore through the sea of tables and chairs towards Touma. "You idiot!"

Touma bolted out of the classroom. "What did I do to deserve this! Such misfortune!"