Chapter 6 – Hesitation

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Shirai Kuroko is troubled.

It has been almost a week since she was sent to the hospital after the fight with Musujime Awaki, and during all this time she's worried about that ape who shows up around her beloved Onee-sama and would do all sorts of horrible things when she's not there to protect Mikoto. That guy may have saved her life, Kuroko would admit, but he is still a enemy and a pervert, walking in to her changing clothes like that!

Other things like she will most likely be healed in time to participate in the Daihasei Festival maybe after the first day was completely ignored, although she did sigh in relief when she managed to escape punishment from the Dorm Manager after Judgment handed in a form that said she missed curfew due to injury.

Sure, her friends have come to visit her, like Saten and Uiharu is doing now, but Kuroko's roommate has come less and less often. The twin-tailed teleporter refused to believe it was due to the 'love calls' she sent her Onee-sama to let her know 'no matter where Kuroko is she's always thinking of her', and opted to think it is all his fault.

"Cheer up, Shirai-san!" Uiharu, her partner in Judgment said in response to Kuroko's pout. Both Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari felt sweat drops forming a bead behind their head as Kuroko lamented on and on about the possibilities she missed… no, the openings that someone dangerous can take advantage of when she is hospitalised. "You get to take a break from work, so just relax for the time being."

Kuroko glared at Uiharu from her position in bed. "Speaking of which, are you sure you can come and visit me this often? Without me being around you must have a lot more paperwork to go through right?" Kuroko said acidly, somewhat miffed her friend doesn't see how important her duty to protect Mikoto from that ape is. So what if those duties came with the perks like just a tiny bit of skinship with her Onee-sama?

"Ah, well…" Uiharu said sheepishly. "I'm kinda currently suspended from Judgment right now, and after I get back I'll probably be on probation for quite a while. Konori-sempai was annoyed to say the least, when she's the only one left at the 177th branch after BOTH of us ended up getting involved over our head."

"What?" Both Saten and Kuroko looked surprised at Uiharu.

"So that's why you said it'll be alright for you to not go to work today…" Saten realised.

"Why are you on probation anyway? What could you possibly have done to deserve that?" Kuroko asked in amazement. Presumably, if Uiharu's placed on probation then there is a chance she could be kicked out of Judgment for good, and that would leave quite a serious stain on her records. Being suspended only happens to some of the worst rule-breakers as well, when normally it's just filling out a ton of forms if they go too far.

"Um, I'll be allowed back by the time the Daihasei Festival starts, due to the shortage in personnel." Uiharu tried to look on the bright side. "So it's not like I'm in really serious trouble, really."

"Stop trying to change the topic, Uiharu." Kuroko lost her playfulness from earlier when they were talking about other things. Right now Kuroko is all business, like when she is on duty for Judgment work. "What happened?"

"Um…" Uiharu shifted her gaze nervously. "I tried to look up some information I'm not supposed to, and I got caught."

"Seriously?" Kuroko doesn't believe it. "I'm pretty sure you've done that a lot times before. You've never been caught. Just what in the world have you been trying to access that would land you in this kind of harsh punishment anyway?"

"I'd prefer to not say." Uiharu said evasively. "I'm already in trouble as it is…"

"Is this about Misaka-san's boyfriend?" Saten asked her classmate, one eyebrow raised. Uiharu gave a guilty flinch, but before she can give some kind of excuse Kuroko cut in:

"BOYFRIEND?" Kuroko screeched. With a speed unlike that of a wounded girl she swiftly grabbed Uiharu and shook her back and forth repeatedly. "What boyfriend! What has Onee-sama been doing while I was gone?"

Guess 'all business' mode just can't compete with her affections towards Misaka Mikoto.

"Uwa! Stop, Shirai-san!" Saten tried to intervene as Uiharu's started to have spirals showing up in her eyes. After much effort Kuroko finally let go of Uiharu, and they all had to assure the nurse who came to investigate what the uproar is about that nothing was wrong.

"Saten-saaan~!" Uiharu sniffed. "That was mean of you to say something like that." While Saten didn't say that to set off Kuroko on purpose, Uiharu is still unhappy at being handled like that and blamed Saten.

"Sorry." Saten apologised. "It's just that Shokuhou-san did say it was bad to look deeper, so I thought maybe that's what you looked up that got you into this mess."

"Shokuhou?" Kuroko didn't expect to hear that name. "You mean Shokuhou Misaki? What does she has to do with this?"

"You know her, Shirai-san?" Saten asked, her interest piqued. Kuroko grimaced, something that told Saten maybe Kuroko doesn't have a good relationship with the other Level 5 of Tokiwadai.

"Not personally, but her followers can be troublesome. They control the largest clique in our school, and Shokuhou-san has a even larger support base than Onee-sama." Kuroko explained. "I've had quite a few run-ins with them, mostly when they tried to do something to besmirch Onee-sama's name."

"Eh? But Shokuhou-san didn't seem that bad." Uiharu argued. "I mean, she's literally a ojou-sama! Beautiful, elegant and a sense of style far beyond normal people! She can't possibly be that bad."

Both Saten and Kuroko sighed. It appears Uiharu's fangirl obsession over high class ladies is starting to show again. If it was any worse Kuroko might have thought Misaki had done something to her.

"So the 'Queen of Tokiwadai' is involved in this? In addition to that ape?" Kuroko muttered. The 'idiot' Mikoto was always going on about was the only person Kuroko can think of that might be mistaken for Mikoto's boyfriend. "This is bad. You two, tell me everything that you know about this."

"That's probably not a good idea… you need to rest, and if you know what happened you won't be able to do that anymore-" Saten's concern was swept aside by Kuroko immediately.

"I'm serious, Saten-san. Shokuhou Misaki is bad news. Besides, do you expect me to be able to rest if I'm worried sick about what's happening out there?"

"It's so bad that being worried sick will get you better rest compared to if you know what happened." Saten said with a tone of finality. Uiharu and Kuroko narrowed their eyes in suspicion. Uiharu is doubting how can Saten find things when she couldn't, and Kuroko is doubting it can't possibly be that bad.

"Saten-san," Kuroko said in a deceptively calm tone. "In exchange for your cooperation I'm willing to let you eat all you want for one time at the Pasticceria Manicagni over at the School Gardens, with the bill paid for by me."

"Eh! Really?" Both Saten and Uiharu burst out.

"Does that include me as well?" Uiharu demanded.

"Sure, if I get the best information the two of you have." Kuroko promised. It would probably cost an astronomical amount for this, but it's probably worth it to know what is going on.

"N-no thanks, I won't be bought using desserts." Saten shifted uneasily, determined to not let her own desires overwhelm her concern for her friend.

"Oh? If I remember correctly the last time we went you only had the cheesecake." Kuroko almost purred. "We haven't gone back there for a while. You never did try out the Strawberry Costrata, did you? Or what about the Cioccolata? That chocolate cake tastes simply divine, with the rich taste that melts in your mouth and a smooth texture that cannot be described. To be able to gouge yourself on those delicacies, are you sure you want to pass on a chance like this which may never come by again?"

"Well…" Saten's resolve is wavering. Uiharu on the other hand had fallen long before the description had started and is now begging Saten with big, teary, puppy dog eyes that she only uses in desperate situations.

It wasn't fair that Kuroko is baiting her like this when she already agreed to say everything, damn it! Uiharu fumed inside, and resolved to get Saten to agree to the deal no matter what.

"Please, Saten-san?" Saten almost gave up due to the sheer moe the smaller girl is attempting to bury her friend in.

"What about your weight? Eating that many sweets can't be good for you." Saten tried desperately to think of something that would hold up against the unholy onslaught on her iron will.

"I'm a growing girl! It won't matter, I'm sure." Uiharu started to pout, which for some reason made her expression all the more devastating.

"… URGH, fine!" Saten finally gave in. "Just swear you'll never use that against me ever again. That is dangerous."

"I'll just save it for special occasions then." Uiharu smiled impishly. No way is she giving up that trump card when it's proven it works time and again.

Kuroko hid her smile. Even if her sweet-talking skills failed to get Mikoto interested in her at night, it seems learning to do so have paid off in this case.

"So, the information?" Kuroko prompted. Uiharu's attack just then didn't do as much to her as it did to Saten. On the other hand, if it was Mikoto using that…

"Shirai-san? Are you alright?" The other two girls are looking at the teleporter from their position on the seats beside the hospital bed with a worried expression. Belatedly Kuroko realised a small stream of blood is starting to trickle down from her nose as she imagined how Mikoto would look with Uiharu's earlier expression, and quickly wiped it away with some tissues.

"Ah, don't worry, I just over-exerted myself earlier. Hahaha…" Everyone present felt a sweat drop forming at the back of their head at the pitiful excuse, but let it pass for more important things.

"So, what do you know so far?" Kuroko asked.

"I've looked up Kamijou Touma's files, and found nothing out of the ordinary." Uiharu reported. "Average grades, though he performs badly in esper-related courses. Gets into trouble occasionally but it mostly always turn out it wasn't his fault and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The system scans show him as a Level 0."

"Really?" Both Kuroko and Saten was surprised at that. At one time or another they saw him negate some kind of esper ability, and those were high level ones like powerful lightning or teleportation. It just doesn't make sense he's a Level 0.

"What else can you find about him?" Saten asked, interested.

"That's it. I tried to look deeper into the Anti-skill archive to see what records they have on him beyond the school records, and the system discovered me." Uiharu sighed.

"That can't be right. I'm sure you've been into that system many times, and you've never been caught." Kuroko said. While the two Judgment members here might not know Uiharu can be listed as one of the top 10 hackers in Academy City, they both know Uiharu's skill on the internet is exceptional. It was very unlikely that Uiharu was caught like that, when in their previous cases there was a few times they went directly to look up information instead of requesting it from Anti-skill. It was just faster that way and it saves time.

"There was a trap set underneath quite a few layer of other ones, a warning that notifies someone is looking at this file. Most people won't notice it unless they already know it's there." Uiharu frowned. "Everyone that accesses his information will trip a passive defence that notifies someone about this piece of data being accessed. I tried to leave as fast as I can after I found I tripped the warning, but by then it was too late. The only thing I found after breaking in was there's so much traps about his information lying around that it's alright to find his information, but you have no chance of leaving without being discovered. In terms of security it's a failure as you don't keep the locked up information secure, but you can definitely catch whoever was doing the hacking."

"So his information is locked up more securely than anyone else's?" Kuroko enquired.

"I was too busy taking care of other defences that I missed this tripwire. Misaka-san probably has fewer defences in place about her files than Kamijou-san." Uiharu confirmed. "It's not Anti-Skill's doing too. This almost feels like someone else hacked into the system and added spider webs around his files that wasn't part of the standard firewalls; defences easily broken but not easily found, and breaking any one entangles you while setting off other passive defences."

"But whoever did this had enough influence to get you in trouble, despite being someone outside of Anti-skill…" Kuroko filed this away in her brain to look up later. Surely it can't be something like corruption in Academy City's law enforcement system?

"What about you, Saten-san? What did you manage to find?" Uiharu asked.

"Well, this might be less about Kamijou-san and more about Misaka-san." Saten admitted. "I was looking at some more urban legends, after finding out he was the guy that can negate any abilities I got curious and looked up some more."

Now that Kuroko came to think about it, she never thought that deeply about what his ability could be. Every time something happened, the situation didn't allow her to dwell on his ability. Situations like a incoming fatal esper attack, a visit by the Dorm Manager, or a terrorist attack at the underground mall; all of those were attention-grabbing events that didn't allow her the leisure to unravel his ability.

Uiharu noted the only reason she didn't find what Saten had was because she had been paying attention on the official records and neglected the gossiping on the net. With a shrug, she listened to what Saten had to say.

"And what I found, well… before I go further, we still get the all-we-can-eat at Pasticceria Manicagni right? Even if what we have is bad news beyond your worst nightmare?" Saten tried to confirm with Kuroko.

"Stop stalling and tell me already." Besides, how bad can it possibly be? Kuroko thought.

"If you say so." Saten took out her phone. With Academy City's technology about twenty years ahead of rest of the world, just about any phone can access the internet and have a screen large enough to read webpages easily. With a few clicks here and there, Saten reached one of the most prominent rumour sites in the City. "Here."

Kuroko took the phone from Saten and started reading.

And read.

And read.

With her jaws hanging almost comically, Kuroko looked like she had just gone through an excessively enthusiastic session from Mikoto's electric 'whip of love' (ie, thoroughly shocked). Her face was paler than the hospital walls, and she gripped the phone as if trying to crush it in her hands.

"Um, Shirai-san…?" Uiharu asked timidly. She peeked over Kuroko's shoulders and blanched at some of the photos that were available.

"I tried calling Misaka-san earlier when I saw these things. She apparently saw these as well and seemed down about it." Saten said. "I didn't think it would be a good idea to ask if it was true, not when she sounded upset. I've heard she had a fight with Shokuhou-san as well, and supposedly there was widespread damage over at Tokiwadai. None of these are confirmed though."

*clatter*

Saten's phone dropped onto the floor, while Kuroko slumped dejectedly on her bed. Saten didn't even have the heart to scold Kuroko for not being careful with other people's property as she retrieved her phone when she saw how bad the teleporter is feeling.

"… no…" Kuroko said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"?" Both Saten and Uiharu looked questioningly at Kuroko.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kuroko roared, a sudden reversal from her earlier depression-like state and started to pull at her twin-tails. "I refuse to believe this! There's no way Onee-sama would have abandoned me like this! Uwaaaaaaa!"

"Somebody stop her!" Uiharu pressed the emergency alarm for when a patient need immediate care, and a few nurses came in immediately and started to restrain Kuroko.

"Let me go! I need to go find Onee-sama! I'm not hysterical!" Kuroko struggled but couldn't get loose, and teleporting out of their grip is not possible, not when her wounds are breaking open and the pain is interfering with her concentration. The nurses said something about Kübler-Ross and 'five stages', but the middle school students here don't know what they're on about.

Deciding they might get in the way, Saten and Uiharu left before they can make things worse. As they exited, Saten thought:

Well, at least we didn't say something like 'Mikoto was visiting her boyfriend while Kuroko wasn't around to interrupt' , that would have been bad…

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Despite it being the weekend already, Misaka Mikoto stayed in her dormitory room instead of going outside. Apart from meal times and school, Mikoto had stayed in her room in contrast to her usual behaviour of staying out to almost past curfew. This fact didn't go unnoticed by other students in the same dormitory, and whispers started to spread. Fortunately, these are concerned whispers that cared about Mikoto's wellbeing, rather than anything like kicking someone when they're down.

Even after Misaki's damage control, it didn't hide the fact Mikoto sought out the Queen of Tokiwadai and a room was trashed in the same afternoon. Misaki only made it impossible to blame them for wrecking the place, that's all.

Mikoto's grades didn't change from her usual excellence, academically or physically. But anyone who saw her within the last few days can see a marked change on the Railgun, as if someone hollowed her out and there's a void that ate at her from the inside.

Leaning back on her seat and her completed homework scattered on the desk, Misaki's words reverberated inside her head.

"All you've seen so far about him is only him cleaning up your mess for you."

"You are just a burden to him, someone that he helps but who can never repay him in any way when he is in trouble."

"You weren't there when his right arm was severed and blood sprayed out just like one of those fountains…"

"Long story short, you don't deserve him."

Mikoto brought one hand up and covered her eyes. There's a bit of discrepancy between her hand's temperature and her head's, and she welcomed the slightly cooler feel. There aren't any tears left to shed at this point.

Why did she never think that he could be in trouble? Because he was so much stronger than her? That he can take on Accelerator and not just live, but win?

Taking her hand off her head, she flipped open her frog-like cellphone and scrolled down her list of contacts' phone numbers. There was only one other number there, apart from her father's, that belonged to a male person.

Kamijou Touma.

Mikoto still haven't quite got used to that name yet. Ironic, then, that she forced him to remember her name and got angry whenever he called her 'biri-biri', but never did the same and use his name in return.

To her, he has always been 'that idiot' or just 'him'. Someone that seemed like a island she can go to where she can be herself, without having to worry about things like keeping up appearances, being the 'Ace of Tokiwadai' or anything like that. She can just be a normal girl when he's around, someone that would treat her as an equal, as a person and more than just one of the most powerful esper in Academy City.

Even Kuroko, arguably her closest friend, never stopped with the heroine-worship of her ability and popularity despite being able to see past it. Her kouhai put her on a pedestal, someone to be respected… apart from all that sexual harassment anyway. Mikoto wanted a companion, not a servant; And Touma did that very well.

Mikoto wanted to hit the 'call' button and asked why didn't he confide in her if he had been in trouble. Something as bad as having his arm cut off? Just what did he had to go through, in addition to taking on her problems?

But she's afraid. Afraid of being rejected, being told it's none of her business. She didn't want to lose him, asking him things to the point he would push her away and never associate with her again.

It's not like she can force the issue – she kept the trouble with the 'Level 6 Shift' Experiment private, and he had to figure it out himself. Mikoto is in no position to accuse others of keeping secrets.

Still, how in the world did she miss things to this extent? She already knew back when the term just started he was attacked by a terrorist from outside Academy City. A esper too, if her command over earth and forming it into a giant arm to attack Kuroko was any indication. She berated herself for focusing more on the white-robed nun with him and the revelation that she was also saved by him (without them asking for it, one might add), compared to a terrorist attack from Outside and other esper development institutes apart from Academy City existing. From how nonchalant he was, it's almost like he's used to this kind of things.

This only made Misaki's words hurt more; Mikoto had seen more than just him saving her, but didn't connect the dots. Not seeing something right in front of you is even more unforgivable than being blind to their existence.

With a sigh, Mikoto flipped her phone shut and placed it back on her desk. Her hesitation of calling, and repeatedly picking her phone up and placing it back down has been happening for the last few days now.

What should I do…? Mikoto placed her arms on the desk and used them as a pillow, burying her head.

At this rate, Shokuhou will end up enslaving him. That charade about caring for him? When she only cares about her own wellbeing? That's a load of…

But is it really that farfetched? That even the Queen would change, after seeing what Touma had hidden away? "When you know what I know, see what I have seen…"

Mikoto sorely wanted to believe Misaki is the villainess here. That this is all just another power-grab. But there's that one tiny part left in her that spoke in a soft voice, "What if she's telling the truth?", against her better judgment.

"I will be taking him away from you now, and if you want to stop me then you'll just have to steal his heart before I do."

"I suppose that's one way to stop her…" Mikoto murmured absently, before realising what she just said.

"NO way!" Mikoto 's head shot up from the desk and shook violently, blushing as she did so. "Me, with that guy? That's ridiculous! It's not like I love him or anything! Why do I have to…"

Still, would it be that bad? She could do worse than to settle with a guy like him. To be held in his strong arms, his soft breath slightly on her hair… and then when she looks up she will see a devoted companion, a warm look in his eyes as he closes in to softly plant his lips on her own-

What the hell am I imagining! Mikoto gave a silent scream and placing both hands on her temple. It is definitely not a good idea to make a ruckus, not if the Dorm Manager hears it and punish her for being unnecessarily disturbing to other residents.

So banging her head repeatedly on her desk in hopes that pain will remove that illusion of hers is out of the question. Good thing then someone decides to call her right now and give her a distraction.

Mikoto quickly grabbed the phone and flipped it open. When she saw who was calling she almost closed the phone again on reflex and went back to her wallowing.

It's Kamijou Touma.

How in the world does he have this kind of timing! Mikoto panicked. Calm down, calm down… it's not like you like him, he won't know you were just thinking about something embarrassing and is just impossible, so just answer the call and pretend everything is alright.

With a click, she shakily brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Misaka? It's Kamijou here." Came that idiot's voice. "Have you heard about those rumours on the net about us?"

Why in the world are you talking about that now, of all times? Mikoto wanted to scream into the phone – Touma's choice of topic is not helping her inner conflict right now. Instead she said "Yeah, I've seen it already. Some of it is really ridiculous, right?"

"So how bad is it going for you? Anyone giving you trouble or anything like that?"

"Not really, being talked about is par for the course when you're called the 'Ace of Tokiwadai'… nothing out of the ordinary here." Mikoto shrugged, and even if Touma can't see her doing so he can tell by her tone of voice.

"That's good then." Touma said in a relieved voice.

"What about you then? How badly are you affected by this?" Mikoto wanted to know. She thought she really should pay more attention to his problems, after all he had done for her.

"Well…"

"THERE HE IS!" Another voice came across the phone. Judging from the other ambient sounds like rushed footsteps and yells, things aren't that good over at Touma's end. "Come back here, punk!"

"Nobody's dumb enough to just walk up and get piled by a bunch of aggressive guys, you dumbass!" Touma shot back as he ran. "Sorry Mikoto, what were you saying?"

"… You're getting chased down by other people because of these rumours?" Mikoto said in disbelief.

"Don't worry about it, they'll get tired eventually." Touma said, dodging a projectile someone threw at him and turning a corner.

"What the hell? Why don't you just beat them all up or something?"

"Excuse me? I'm a Level 0! I've got nothing apart from my fists!" Touma complained. Seeing another group ahead, he turned a different corner before he was seen. Having good knowledge of the back alleys of District 7 really helped now, and he thanked whatever he went through before he lost his memories for this knowledge. "And they all know this too, thanks to the rumours. As long as they don't come at me with esper powers I'm just another normal high school student."

"Give me your GPS password." Mikoto ordered him. By giving another person that password they can see where each other is using the GPS function on their phones, but the password changes every 30 minutes. "I'm coming over right now."

"Hell no, you're just going to overdo it aren't you?" Touma refused. "I'd prefer not to make any more enemies, thank you very much."

"So you're just going to run away? You always do that!" Mikoto fumed.

"If I send them to the hospital they'll just come right back when they're healed. If I make it not worth their time they'll get bored eventually." Touma replied, now confident he lost them all. Normally he pace himself and let the others get tired/bored from chasing him, but due to the sheer amount of people after him hiding is the better option right now. Otherwise he'll have to do a marathon everyday for the rest of his life at this rate. "I've already taken care of things over at my end, so I'll get back to my point."

"What?"

"I've heard you picked a fight with Shokuhou. What happened?" At that, Mikoto went silent.

"Hello? You still there biri-biri? Did my phone get hit while I was running or something?" Touma frowned.

"My name isn't biri-biri! It's Misaka Mikoto!" Mikoto shouted back on reflex. She could almost hear him wincing at the loud response. With a deep breath, she continued. "It wasn't anything major. Why didn't you call her to find out what happened anyway?"

"I wanted to hear what happened from you. Is it really that bad that I prefer to contact you rather than Shokuhou?"

"Well, no…" With herculean effort, Mikoto managed to not twist his words into something more than he simply trusts her more than Misaki.

"Anyway, if it wasn't anything major then that's good." Touma didn't sound convinced of Mikoto's reply. "Are you alright, then?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't sound like your usual self. It's like you're preoccupied with something."

"…"

She wanted to ask about his past, and his burdens. Mikoto wanted to know what information Shokuhou managed to steal from him, and blatantly declared she understood him better because of that.

Mikoto wanted to help him and stand by his side. No matter what Darkness he had to face, she would be there for him like when he was there for her.

Anything would be better than to have him fight to the point he lost an arm and had to get that reattached or something.

"Well, I'd understand if you don't want to talk about it." Touma finally said as Mikoto was lost in thought. "Just know that if you ever need someone to talk things over, just give me a call, 'kay?"

"… You too. If you ever get into trouble, and need my help or just someone to talk to, I'll be there." Mikoto promised. It's the best she can do to convey her feelings right now. "So don't rush into things without getting me involved. You don't have to suffer through anything by yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind."

A few more words of farewell later, Touma hung up.

For some reason, just having talked with him calmed Mikoto down. It almost felt like back before knowing about the Experiment, when she was just treated as a normal girl in the few times they met.

That idiot will definitely just ignore her words and try and take on everything by himself; if she want him to ever come to her ask for help for that kind of things, she would need to beat that concept into his thick head later.

But for now, Mikoto is satisfied knowing he's the same Touma she knew, and it didn't look like that will change any time soon.

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Touma looked down at his phone, Mikoto's last words echoing through his mind.

"You don't have to suffer through anything by yourself", she had said.

Yeah, I know I don't. Touma thought. It's not because I have to, but because I want to. Can you really blame me for wanting to help someone else?

Touma doesn't realise he's completely missing the point of Mikoto's worry, that she's concerned about his own troubles rather than anything he takes on from someone else.

Also, it's not like he can just call Mikoto for help when he's more likely to fight against magicians than espers in the things he get dragged into. Having those on the Magic side fighting those on the Science side could lead to trade secrets being leaked, something like the blueprints for advanced weapons falling into the hands of a enemy country. According to Tsuchimikado Motoharu, worst case scenario it can lead to war.

Putting those thoughts aside, Touma dialled another number:

Shokuhou Misaki's.

After a few rings, she finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"I've done like you asked and called Misaka. She seems to be fine now."

"That's good." Misaki said in satisfaction. "It was a good idea to let you cheer her up when her kouhai isn't around to do so. No, maybe not even Shirai could have gave Misaka her peace of mind like you did."

"I still don't get why you had me to do this. Asking her if she's alright? Telling her that I'm here for her?" Touma asked in a puzzled voice. "Sure, it's not something I wouldn't say her, but does it really need to be said that she has friends there who care about her? I thought this would have been obvious."

"It's a woman thing, don't worry too much about it." Misaki said cryptically. "We want to be assured of these things at times. And you're a good choice to do this kind of things."

After their last clash, Misaki decided to get Touma to calm Mikoto down after a while. All those things she said about stealing Touma's heart was just something to break Mikoto down, and establish a situation that make the Railgun unable to attack her. Romance wasn't that high on Misaki's list, and if Mikoto want Kamijou Touma then she can have him if it means the electromaster won't come after her any more. Touma might end up as a good shackle for Mikoto, deterring her from interfering in Misaki's plans for good.

"Sorry for not coming to see you in person to request this. I don't want to feed the rumours if people see us together, and I have some people to chase down." Misaki continued.

"Is this something about your clique? You sure work hard even on a day off, huh." Touma remarked.

"You could say that." Misaki gave a vague reply. "Honestly, if this wasn't urgent then I would have just ignored this."

"Okay, then I'll-"

Whatever Touma was going to say was interrupted by a sudden jet of flame trying to barbecue him. Ducking down and dodging to the side to avoid being burnt, he saw a gust of razor wind coming after his leg. Reflexively Touma negated the coming attack, as while fire can still be used by someone with a flamethrower so it won't necessarily be a supernatural attack, Touma guessed razor wind is not as likely to be coming from a mundane weapon.

"Che, so those rumours are correct about his ability at least." A voice scowled.

"We're not trying to kill him here, don't use lethal attacks like that!" Another voice said, reprimanding the first speaker.

"That wasn't lethal… sure, he'll be badly burnt, but he'll live." The fire user shot back.

Touma stayed hidden around a corner and watched two silhouettes came into view. Both of them, young women judging by their curves, are dressed in identical black pants and long sleeved dark clothes. A hood covered each of their head, obscuring whatever Touma can see in the dim lighting in the alleyway.

Touma wanted to run, but he's sure that he'll be found by the sounds of his footstep if he started to move. Not to mention from the straight lines in these alleyways a attack can probably reach him easily.

"Kamijou-san? What happened?"

Belatedly, Touma realised his call to Misaki is still connected. On cue, the two girls looked towards his direction, hearing someone talking.

"I'm being attacked by espers, so I'll call you back later." Touma said quickly as he ran, with a fireball impacting where he was standing.

"Wait, who's attacking you-" Before Misaki can finish her sentence, Touma cut the call. He took a chance and looked back for what else is flying his way, and what he saw made his jaw drop.

A fiery whirlwind, two times higher than Touma, shot down the path towards him and devouring everything in its path turning everything into charred remains. During the Daihasei Festival espers are known to combine their attacks, like linking telekinesis into fireballs to direct the area of explosion and to act as a cushion for those blown away. Only here the combination is used to increase the deadliness of an attack instead of decreasing it.

With the attack that's likely from a Level 4 pyrokinesis user and a wind user, Touma's not sure even if he ran into a side alley he can escape the searing heat. Hearing a surprised gasp up ahead, Touma knew even before he looked ahead again that running to the side isn't a option.

The alleyway is connected back to a main road, and staring at Touma and the blaze approaching behind him is a small boy who froze like deer encountering headlights on a dark night. Even if Touma somehow manages to escape there's no telling if the young boy there will survive.

"Shit…!" Touma cursed. What had been just another day off had ended up being filled with fights as soon as somebody recognised him from the rumours. Apart from the call he got from Misaki asking him to talk to Mikoto, he had planned to spend the day hanging out with Kazakiri and Index after the bespectacled girl came to visit them.

And now someone is going to get hurt.

Touma quickly spun around, staring at the vortex of flame and stood his ground to act as a shield for the kid.

"Get out of here!" Touma roared to the boy as he turned. As if broken out of a trance the young boy started to back away slowly, before he stumbled as his trembling legs gave out from under him.

The young boy can only watch as the flames engulfing Kamijou Touma, the image of the spiky-haired teen charging back towards the source of the inferno with his right arm outstretched burned into his mind.

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*End Chapter 6*

Author's notes: first, some references: Uiharu's hacking ability is mentioned in SS2 Ch9 (June, 2nd Friday). I don't have much idea on how computers work, so if my description is utterly wrong then sorry about that. All that's important here is Uiharu tried to look up Touma's data, was thwarted, and got in trouble for her attempt.

Vol9 Ch2 Pt8, during the Daihasei Festival the GPS password was used by Motoharu and Touma to see where each other are.

Vol7 Ch2 Pt7, Komoe gave Touma more homework after summer vacation's ones wasn't completed, and he got Mikoto to help him.

On another note, one reason why I chose to start my story before Vol9 but after Vol8 is because it gets Kuroko away from Mikoto for the time. Without Kuroko around Mikoto can spend more time with Touma, and sets the stage for conflict against Misaki.

I had a bit of trouble writing Kuroko into Misaki's plans, since I had no idea if Kuroko would go 'axe crazy' on Touma after knowing the conflict between the Level 5s of Tokiwadai, or just being plain brainwashed by Misaki into being a pawn (and there won't be much of a story if it went [Misaki controls Kuroko, Kuroko backstabs Mikoto in the worst way possible, end of story with Mikoto left as a broken shell and unable to trust anyone for the rest of her life, Misaki regret being too heavy-handed with her manipulation and Touma has to come and patch up Mikoto]). I decided to just leave her in the hospital until I can bring her in where she can contribute beyond just be a 'stab happy' person and go nuts on Touma and/or Misaki as her target.

Another reason is all this happens before Daihasei Festival. I've mentioned elsewhere I plan to skip the events of Vol9-10 with the Croce di Pietro, but I am planning on expanding on the rest of the sports festival. There's another four days apart from the first day when Touma and others are dealing with Oriana, so there's potential for some more story there.

As a bit of a teaser, Vol11 prologue mentioned Touma's school went head to head with Tokiwadai but lost on one of the days, and I want to take a shot at writing that when I get there. Don't expect that to happen for another few weeks at least though, there's a lot more other things I want to write before I get to the festival. This is the main reason why I said the events in canon will stay roughly the same but there will be differences; I just can't fit everything I want happening in the period of maybe about 7 days between Vol8 and Vol9.