AN: Welcome back, my readers. As you probably noticed, the prologue's sole purpose was to 'introduce' my OC. For now, he'll be the only one, though. And for those of you wishing for an OP Touma – I have to half-way disappoint you. He will be stronger than his canon counterpart – eventually. But not OP, that's my OC's job.

Now, some of you might be wondering how I intend to pull off ToumaxMikoto within my half-way cannon context, which I do (he's still getting his harem, I'm just tweaking the competition in various ways). All I'll say is, grab your popcorn. (Or not.)

Level Upper Part 1

Ruiko Saten sat in a café and sighed. The day before, she and Kazari Uiharu had visited their friends Mikoto and Kuroko's dorm after a chance run-in with the level 5, who looked like she'd run a marathon. Her explanation of running after an old friend seemed weird, but earnest and the younger girls didn't pursue the matter at the time.

Unfortunately, their visit was cut short due to an argument between the two Tokiwadai students concerning Kuroko's habits, which their Dorm Manager brought to an abrupt, but frighteningly effective end. As punishment for using their powers in the dorm, Mikoto and Kuroko have to clean one of the schools pools today, by themselves. And since Kazari had been called to the Judgment office, Ruiko ended up with time on her hands and no one to share it with.

Her thoughts turned towards the System-Scan earlier that week. Like last year and the year before that, the results were: Level 0, no traceable amount of useful power for an ability. She hadn't needed anyone pointing that out for her though, it was quite obvious that she still had no powers to speak of. The scan only rubbed salt in the wound.

Ruiko sighed. Trying to get her mind off of things, she pulled out her laptop to look up the hottest rumors, as is her past-time. She found several things, including the 'Stripper Woman', the 'Level Upper', the 'Ability to cancel other Abilities', and the 'Demon King' – 'Wait, 'Demon King'?'

The adolescent girl clicked the link, bringing up a two-year old news article on the rampant esper who seems to have been coined 'Demon King', both for the amount of destruction he caused as well as the Kanji for 'Magic' and 'King' he carved into the infamous Windowless Building during the last ten minutes of the destruction, which were still present to this day. He had disappeared after a three hour rampage, but the people who made the site she was on persist that he lives and roams the city to this day, recent pictures of those same Kanji being engraved into walls in District 10 supporting that claim and being the cause of the return to popularity.

Ruiko remembered that time well. It was a month before her first System-Scan, and a month after she first entered Academy City. Thankfully, and miraculously, there wasn't a single fatal casualty in the incident, despite the ungodly amount of ruins left behind, though she doubted that the outside public even knew that much. If they had, her family would've quite likely taken her out of the City, even though the damage was limited to Districts without a single actual school facility – the classic excuse of 'if it already happened here, then why not there' would've cost Academy City half of its residents, easily. While the figure in the news report had certainly intimidated her, she had become determined to use whatever powers she would get for a better purpose – except she never got any.

'Gah...' The girl caught herself thinking about that again. She clicked on a random picture – and froze. 'But... that's...!' Suddenly, Ruiko heard someone sitting on the chair across from her. Intent on giving the rude person a lecture she froze again upon seeing them. Checking the screen of her laptop twice to make sure, she found herself speechless at the sight of self-same 'Demon King', whom she had recognized as the guy who manipulated Mikoto's Railgun attack on the day of the System-Scan, sitting right in front of her.

On the school grounds of the Tokiwadai Middle School, Mikoto and Kuroko were cleaning a large pool as per their punishment. The electromaster used the time to think about her encounter with an old acquaintance early the day before; a certain misfortunate level 0 with the unique ability Imagine Breaker, which resided in his right hand – Kamijou Touma.

Ever since he saved her life two years ago, Mikoto has been looking forward to spending as much time as humanly possible with him. Misfortunately, her tsundere tendencies cause her to attack him, making him run away and her to chase the poor idiot until he actually manages to shake her off, like yesterday, or she breaks off the chase due to other reasons.

On the flip-side, her attacks never ended fatally, no matter how much power she used thanks to his hand. Still, she mused, if she was going to improve her relationship with him, she should come up with better ways to spend time together – and learn to better control her temper. Just yesterday, the unlucky high schooler stated that their usual routine was getting bland. His casual suggestion of going on what basically was a lunch-date had been too much for the innocent young girl, which in turn started up another chase.

'I-it's not like I really want to be around him or anything...w-we've just known each other for so long and yet...y-yet...' Mikoto got frustrated, 'GAAAH! Fine! I'll look for him tomorrow and throw his idea in his freaking face! He's the one who suggested it, so he should take some god-damn responsibility!' Happy with the result of her mental outburst, outwardly signified only by her throwing her hands to her head and shaking it intensely, Tokiwadai's Ace picked up the mop she had dropped, completely oblivious to Kuroko's bewildered face.

Ruiko was trying to enjoy her milkshake quietly, but that was quite difficult being in the presence of a living urban legend. The 'Demon King', who had yet to address her in any way, drank his cappuccino in such a way that one would almost think he was at home. Taking a closer look now that she could, his appearance was a little fascinating:

He was a Caucasian of high school or university age, with unkempt, medium-long, wavy dark brown hair and a green eye on the left side of his face and matching blond and magenta counterparts on his right. His overall face structure, oval on top of a triangular jaw set with a wide forehead, wasn't bad on the eyes, though he had bushy eye-brows and three-day stubble in both colors each, which disproved her theory concerning hair-dye. His body form was lean, almost skinny, but he was definitely tall, somewhere around 1.8 meters (about 5'11"). He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a white stripe running horizontaly across his chest, and baggy half-jeans of a darker blue. The most striking feature, however, were undoubtedly his eyes: each eye had a U-shaped sigil, almost like sharp prongs, of the opposing color framing the pupils in them, though the green-on-magenta one was upside-down, as well as long lashes. His expression was stoic, a perfect mask of indifference.

Honestly, Ruiko had no idea what to do in this situation. She remembered Yomikawa's words about not antagonizing him, and now that she knew what he could do, thanks to the old news report, she was going to be extra careful about that. It didn't stop her from being curious, though. 'What is he thinking about?' As though in response, she could've sworn she saw a ghost of a smile grace his lips.

After a while, she saw him blink, before groaning and holding his head as though he was having a migraine. Before she could ask what was wrong, the doors of the café burst open, revealing men in black leather jackets bringing out guns, their leader shouting: "All right, nobody moves! Unless you're forking out your valuables!"

'They're robbing a café?!' Ruiko was amazed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. A boy in the far corner said something about rotten luck, but her attention was captured by what her uninvited companion, who seemed far less impressed, did – he lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers, thrice.

*Clack*

The goons' weapons butted their owners in the head so hard that they drop them.

*Clack*

Their belts unhooked and removed themselves before smacking their former owners' hindquarters, causing the thugs to cover those with their hands only to have their wrists snared by the belts.

*Clack*

Their shoelaces untied and cross-tied themselves, causing the robbers to stumble and fall to the ground, groaning.

.

.

.

W-what just happened? That question ran through everyone's minds as the 'Demon King' calmly went back to his drink.

Kamijou Touma was a most unfortunate person. The level 0's complete lack of good luck was one of his few trademarks, the other two being his spiky black hair and the power of his right hand, Imagine Breaker. Just yesterday he'd been chased around by little miss Railgun, courtesy of his own, somehow, poorly thought out words. If it had been anyone else on the receiving end of those bolts, he doubted they would've gotten away at all.

Now mind you, if anyone asked him if he ever regretted saving Mikoto back then, he'd look at them like they were crazy, as his friend and classmate Tsuchimikado Mototharu can tell you. He'd have done it a thousand times over and then some.

Now, as mentioned, Touma's luck is, quite frankly, the worst, despite what the boys in his class insist. If you want an example, just look at his current situation – he was visiting a café when a group of young men dressed like bikers came in to rob the place.

'But those men were stopped,' is what you're thinking, right?

Yes, but Touma had noticed the person behind that – and call him paranoid, but he had a good reason to be cautious right now.

Now, the black haired middle-school girl, he didn't know her. It was her seating partner who caught Touma's attention. The 'Demon King', unmistakable by his dual-color hair, was sipping cappuccino opposite said girl.

While Touma was glad he wasn't wrecking the city like the last time he saw him, he couldn't help but wonder what the young man was up to now. Just as Touma saw him get up –

"Hey," he said.

The 'Demon King' turned his way, the surprise written bluntly across his face, before recognition replaced it, followed by the original boredom. "You, huh?" he said, in a deep tenor which he kept neutral. Well, at least he didn't seem to hold a grudge, Touma thought.

Now he just had to make sure Mikoto doesn't see this guy...

Which he found out was easier said than done – the guy seemed to disappear into thin air, no sound effects included. Visually, it looked like wiping off smudge from a window.

Both Touma and the girl were too bewildered to notice the waitress approaching.

"Excuse me, that man was an acquaintance of yours, no?" Taken by surprise, Touma stumbled through a response: "Uh, that's-"

"Then would you be so kind as to pay the bill?" she continued with a strict tone, handing the unfortunate boy the price for both beverages of that table.

"... My rotten luck."

"I'm so sorry," Ruiko said in earnest sympathy to the high school boy who, somehow, ended up paying for both her and the 'Demon King's' bill. "No, no, it's fine." "Really?"

"Just another day in this Kamijou's life...(sigh)"

"... does this usually happen to you?" she asked perplexed.

"Actually, I've never had to pay for someone else after witnessing a botched robbery by a bunch of idiots." "I know, right?" "Other than that, though, yeah. You could say I'm pretty unlu – wah!"

Just as he stepped backwards, a tennis ball found itself under that very foot he used. And he found himself on his back with an aching head.

"... I see..." Ruiko said, sweat-dropping. Then, she remembered something.

"Hey, you know that 'Demon King' guy, don't you?" He sat up: "... What makes you think that?"

She deadpanned him for the obvious deflection. Her grades may not be the best, but she's insightful when she wants to be. Plus: "You said 'Hey' like he was an old friend or something."

Now it was Touma's turn to sweat-drop: "No, not a friend. Actually, we didn't have the best first meeting." Ruiko gave him a curious look. Sighing, he looked around before asking: "What's it to you, uh..." He just realized that he didn't have her name.

"Ah, Ruiko. Saten Ruiko. Level 0-geh." Shit, she thoughtlessly let that slip.

"Ah. Kamijou Touma. Same," he reached for her hand from his sitting position, "Nice to meet you."

"Ah," came a voice from down the street, "I thought I heard a stupid voice," they turned towards the source, "Making more lady friends, Kamijou?" Ruiko looked on in bewilderment, while Touma held his head in an exhausted way, "Better not let the third-rate catch ya, ya know how she gets about that," finished Accelerator, who was wearing the same school uniform as Touma, with a grin that could put a shark to shame.