"That's a new look, Meiko"
"Huh?"
"That hairpin of yours, you didn't wear that before…"
In an outdoor area, there sat Tanaka, hanging out with her fellow level 5. It's almost been a week since she and her new friend, who happened to force her into that friendship started to hang out regularly.
"It's just something I felt like trying," says Tanaka, answering Misaki's question.
Indeed it was a new addition to her look. That morning, she'd found something that was precious to her.
'This is…' She pulled a box, covered in dust.
'Isn't this…'
"...-r is there something with that hairpin of yours?"
"Huh?"
"You're daydreaming again? I said, there must be something up with that hairpin of yours." Misaki, perceptive as always, had begun suspicious of that particular hairpin. The blue gem hairpin seemed like nothing if it were to be worn by somebody else, but if it were worn by Tanaka, it might just be something of Misaki's particular interest.
"It's just a small change, nothing more," Tanaka responded, avoiding eye contact. Tanaka had debated with herself, whether to reveal much of it. That hairpin was a precious gift after all.
Misaki leaned in, a sly grin shown on her face,
"You're a terrible liar, Meiko. There's gotta be something up with that hairpin, isn't there?"
"Anyway, why did you invite me? You said there was something going on?" Tanaka tried to change the subject.
"So, have you heard of the news lately? There's been something of a disturbance relating to espers' AIM field. It was just a rumor last week, but seeing how it has now appeared on the news, I think it's worth initiating an investigation, don't you think?" Misaki's grin widened.
"It's also somehow caused by a peculiar esper," Misaki continued.
"Why would you even bother with stuff like this?"
Misaki's eye sparkled with intrigue and a bit of mischief.
"Well, you see Meiko. You're not the only one who enjoys mysteries. The chaos and unpredictability of espers is what makes this city a special one. Think about it, an esper who could manipulate other espers' AIM field, that's something worth checking out."
Tanaka raised her eyebrow, still unsure of Misaki's intent.
"But why involve me in this?" Tanaka questioned, trying to dig deeper into Misaki's real intention.
"Well, You and I working together, trying to investigate this new phenomenon, it's gotta be intriguing."
Tanaka sighed, she'd realized by now that Misaki had agendas of her own. Though, there was a gleam in her eyes, subtly acknowledging that an interest had sparked in her.
"Besides, if everything goes south, we could just use our ability. A little adventure won't hurt, you know," Misaki continued.
"No way am I gonna recklessly use my ability. If I were to go in this little adventure of yours, I've gotta make one thing clear, I won't be your pawn in whatever scheme you're planning."
Tanaka had initially hesitated, but she eventually gave in to her curiosity. She knew deep down that getting too deep into this little mystery might get her entangled in a web of schemes and manipulation. However, the prospect of exploring the mystery of the peculiar esper outweighs its risks.
"Of course not! We're friends after all. Consider it an equal partnership. We uncover it together, and so shall we earn the benefits together." Misaki had laughed a little at Tanaka's response.
"Fine then."
The pair continued discussing their plan of action. As they delved deeper into the mystery, Tanaka couldn't shake the feeling that she was stepping into a room of unraveled mysteries, where every tile in the room had hidden consequences.
"So, what did you find?"
"I've searched around the locals' memories…"
"And….?"
"You know, it's quite unethical, searching around people's memories I mean," Tanaka continued before Misaki had time to answer.
"It's simply much quicker rather than to ask them one by one"
"Either way, it's no use. There hasn't been much happening, especially in this particular area," Misaki continued.
Both of them held their discussion in a cafe. Although it was Sunday morning, the pair still had to wear their Tokiwadai uniform, it's a part of the school regulation after all.
"So, what's next?"
Shortly after Tanaka had placed her question, she felt something, a surge of high-powered energy, running through the street. At that instant, she turned towards the large window, and then…
"Meiko, what's up?"
A surge of high-voltage ran through the street, seemingly spreading through different directions.
"An esper?!" Tanaka stood up, ready to see whatever was unfolding in front of the cafe.
"Ah, could that be?"
Outside the cafe, Misaka Mikoto stood, seemingly exhausted. Not too far from her, however, was another person. Tanaka was quite shocked seeing how the third-ranked level 5 was exhausted.
'An esper?' Tanaka thought.
"Ah, Misaka, you shouldn't go around using your power recklessly, you know," Misaki commented.
"Shokuhou!? Just great,"
"And who might you be?" Misaki turned her attention towards the other figure standing, the figure appeared to be wearing a lab coat.
"The fifth-ranked? Yes, yes, this is a perfect experiment!" The man laughed, hysterically.
"So, tell me, why were you chased by Misaka," Misaki pointed her remote towards the man. However, she didn't the man to also pull out a remote of his own.
"Huh?"
"I can't possibly know what you're talking about, Misaki." A voice came out of Tanaka's mouth, and her eyes showed a sparkle, just like Misaki's.
"What the?" Misaki was a little shocked, she was sure she'd targeted the man, not her friend Tanaka.
"AHAHAHAHAHA, even you, Mental Out can't even touch me!"
"Oh, I see, you must be that esper, or rather, you're just an ordinary scientist, with a remote…" Misaki used her remote again, and shortly after, Tanaka regained consciousness.
"Wh- what happened?"
"That guy right there, he's the guy causing a disturbance on espers' AIM field, or rather, one of the guys," Misaka quickly filled in.
"AHAHAHA, there's the third-ranked, the fifth-ranked, and then… YOU! Who might you be?" The man frowned.
"You're just an underling, aren't you? the lowest of the food chain," Tanaka clutched her palm onto her head.
"I AM A SCIENTIST! CAN'T YOU SEE? HOW DARE YOU CALL ME AN UNDERLING!"
Without hesitation, Tanaka stomped the ground lightly, the nearby street lamp then floated in the sky, now pointing towards the man.
"A psychokinetic? AND YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GET THE BETTER OF ME, LITTLE GIRL?!"
"WAIT- Tanaka! That man will just deflect your ability!" Misaka shouted, trying to prevent Tanaka from lunging the street lamp.
The street lamp went flying, straight towards the man's direction. No fear appeared on the man's face, he knew that the street lamp would just deflect out of his direction, back towards the pack of the girls in front of him.
"AHAHAHAHA," The man clicked the remote, and then…
The street lamp continued towards its path, straight between the man and his arm.
"Wh-whAT? How could this be? WHY DIDN'T IT WORK!" The man looked around for the remote, and to his luck, the remote went flying and out of his reach.
"Tan- aka.. How did you…" Misaka was shocked. Misaka had expected the worst, for the street lamp to come lunging towards any direction, she was prepared to use her electricity to protect the three of them from getting smacked by the post lamp.
"Well, now, tell me, what is the remote that you were using?" Misaki once again used her remote against the man.
"THE REMOTE! It has the power to destabilize an esper's AIM field! TH- at's how I deflected Misaka Mikoto's attack and your attack, my queen…"
"Well then, why didn't you deflect Tanaka's attack?!" Misaka asked, filled with curiosity and suspicion.
"Well, that's a question for another day, Misaka." Misaki used her remote again, this time freezing the man before he could utter another word.
"Tch, you guys better question that man thoroughly, I need answers from that man," Misaka ran out of the scene, looking to take care of another matter.
"And she's off…"
"Well then, Mr. Underling, what's behind these recent attacks on espers' AIM field?" Misaki continued. Once again, she used her remote.
Under the influence of Misaki's ability, the man started to spill secrets with no visible hesitation. The man continued into details of their plan, their ruthless pursuit of manipulating AIM field.
"The organization! The higher-ups are planning a great plan, a grand scheme! WE WAnt to experiment! To upgrade this generation of espers!"
Misaki continued to press on the man, getting the man to spill the names of key operatives within the organization. Tanaka couldn't help but feel uneasy with Misaki's ability, the extent of Misaki's ability might be deeper than Tanaka had initially thought.
"Kihara Gensei…"
'KIHARA?!'
"Kihara Gensei huh?" Misaki wanted to avoid confrontation with that old man. Their previous encounter happened when she first met Tanaka, though they didn't interact, Kihara had given her an uneasy gaze.
"OUR GOAL! We want to harness the power of level 5 espers… MISAKA MIKOTO! and YOU! My queen, and also…" The man answered, purposefully hanging his sentence.
Misaki released her control from the man, and he fell forward, exhausted from his hysterical laughs and Misaki's interrogation method. Tanaka, grappling with the information they'd just gathered, turned her attention to Misaki.
"So, what do we do with this information?" Tanaka asked, showing a mixture of concern and determination in her eyes.
Misaki's expression hardened.
"We should investigate further, Kihara is a dangerous man, we should do it carefully…"
"You should also know that I know you have a history with Kihara," Misaki continued.
"I figured as much, I don't mind that."
"I know Kihara won't be this easy to be tracked down…" Tanaka continued, feeling uneasy about her suspicion.
"It might be a trap." Misaki finished Tanaka's sentence.
"We need to act carefully. These people won't hesitate to destroy the whole of Academy City if it is a necessity for their experiments, we have to be one step ahead," Misaki continued.
Now that things had escalated, Tanaka couldn't help but to involve herself further.
"Alright then, I think we should conclude today's investigation, don't you think?"
"I won't bother with the rest of your weekend, Tanaka," Misaki continued.
"Ok then…"