"Have you heard, have you heard? There seems to be a gang war going on in the back-alleys of Academy City!"
"Ooh, how scary!"
"Yeah, I heard that there's been a lot of violent activity lately! Word is, Skill-Out is going to war with the other gangs! According to my friend in Judgment, a lot of them have even turned up dead!"
"Well, I heard from my cousin, who has a friend who has a girlfriend whose sister works in Anti-Skill, that it's actually a civil war in Skill-Out! The whole gang is tearing itself apart!"
"No, it's all the work of a vigilante! Don't you follow the urban legend sites? This is all the work of the Yellow-Eyed Marauder!"
"Who?"
"The Yellow-Eyed Marauder! She's a rogue Esper who has taken justice into her own hands! Armed with nothing but her ability, she's been hunting down the gangs all over Academy City! Word is, her girlfriend was hurt by someone in Skill-Out, so she's been going after everyone involved for revenge!"
"I don't know, that sounds a bit too much like the plot of an American movie."
"Whatever the truth is, that all sounds really intense. I really hope that it doesn't spill out into public! Skill-Out is a menace as it is!"
"Kuroko Shirai, do you know, do you know? Do you know what changes you have wrought?"
Rakko Yumiya knew she was not an ordinary person: it was a simple fact of life. In many ways she was an oddity, an abnormality that differed in almost every way from her peers, in ways both big and small. Where other girls worried over grades, Rakko was preoccupied with carrying out her assassinations with brutal finesse. Where other girls grew excited in the presence of a crush, she became animated over the thrill of combat. Where other girls loved watching their favorite show or reading their favorite book series, she loved the pain she could inflict on others.
Now, where did these radical differences come from? What had brought them about in the first place? That was a harder question to answer.
Her life after leaving the Ideal Workshop—that laboratory where she and many other girls had been experimented on in order to become Level Fives—had not been the kindest, nor had it been all that conventional. Many things had happened to her over the intervening years, things that normal people would consider terrible and horrifying. It wasn't like one became an agent of the Dark Side of Academy City through fun and wholesome means. But Rakko herself found that she wasn't all bothered by it. There was no changing the past after all, so why waste time castigating it, or pining for what could have been?
That mindset alone differentiated herself from her peers: objectively, Rakko knew that. But she did not particularly mind these deviations. It was who she was, and there was no changing that.
That wasn't to say that Rakko was satisfied with her life, of course. She took pleasure in her job, but outside of that? Well, it was hardly ideal. She had no friends, she had very few hobbies, and it seemed like she had very little to live for outside of her own sordid work.
Rakko had her sister Iruka, sure, but the bond they shared was more of an aloof sort of familial love. They were both attending school at private academies in School Garden, but despite that, they hardly ever saw each other. Their lives had fallen into different trajectories after she'd been designated a Level Zero by Tree Diagram. Academy City had declared her sister the more valuable asset, and so Iruka had slowly but surely been led down a different path than the one Rakko had fallen into: a path free of bloodshed and turmoil. Rakko didn't begrudge her sister that, not in the slightest, but the fact remained that the bond they'd shared as children had slowly but surely faded away.
So when it came to the topic of platonic friendship—or even romantic love—she had thought such things were simply beyond her comprehension, or perhaps not even worth her understanding at all. The average student at School Garden could worry and fret over such things, but she herself? She had other matters to worry over. Sure, she always wanted to have friends, and wanted to be like many of the sociable, outgoing girls at her own school. But the darker side of Rakko Yumiya, the part of her that took pleasure in the agony of her victims, had never truly believed such a thing was attainable.
This all changed, however, after her fateful meeting with Kuroko Shirai.
Looking back on it, it felt as if she'd been living a scene out of a fairy tale: a dashing young prince had come to her rescue in her time of need. Nevermind that Rakko could take care of herself, and had just been thinking of how, exactly, she wanted to dispose of the hoodlums harassing her. Kuroko hadn't known any of that: she'd just come charging in, and saved her just like that.
From there, things had only gotten better. Kuroko had accepted her tentative request to exchange numbers, and a true friendship had blossomed. And that wasn't the end of it: through Kuroko, Rakko had met so many other girls, and made so many new friends! Most of them, she didn't care about as much as Kuroko herself: she'd freely admit that. But still, the fact that her social circle was expanding at all, the fact that she now actually had stuff to do in her free time, excited her to no end.
In the span of just a few weeks, she had utterly changed Rakko's life. Kuroko had become her Shining Thing, in many ways: the perfect thing that she needed to complete her life. She hadn't even realized that she'd been missing something, but now with Kuroko's intervention, that was clear as day.
Trust. Fun. Friendship. Appreciation. Love. Rakko Yumiya had all these things, and more, thanks to Kuroko Shirai. And it was also thanks to Kuroko that Rakko truly understood just what love itself really was, for the first time in her life. More importantly, she now knew what it meant to her.
'Love' was a burning obsession, an all encompassing Thing that lit up everything else in your world. Love was the warmth of the sun's rays caressing your skin on a hot summer's day. Love was the chilling thrill you received when you watched the light die in your prey's eyes. Love was a precious treasure that you cherished above all else, and that you would fight, bleed, and die for, lest someone take it away from you.
Kuroko meant all of these things, and more, to her. So Rakko Yumiya finally understood what love truly meant, and furthermore, she now understood the lengths she would go to to protect it.
In fact it was that new understanding that brought her here, to a series of alleyways and backstreets in District Ten.
"Get away from me you monster!"
Rakko's yellow eyes lazily tracked the young adult running away from her, the barest hint of a smirk resting on her lips. She glanced back down at the pooling blood that surrounded her, leaking from a series of broken, bullet-ridden bodies that laid at her feet.
This was all that remained of that man's comrades. After taking out some of their lookouts, the gang had sought to ambush her in a surprise attack. A pity for them she had seen that coming, and been prepared accordingly.
She started to walk after her prey, whistling a cheery tune as she strode. Bloody footprints were left with each step she took.
Her eyes keenly tracked the trail left behind by her prey, her confident, steady pace leading her along even after she'd lost sight of her target. The steady clacking of her boots echoed through the dilapidated ruins that surrounded her, the area otherwise devoid of all signs of sound or accompanying life.
Given all the screaming that had been going on, it wasn't that surprising that any other souls in the area had swiftly departed.
Rakko continued her hunt, keeping a steady pace as she unerringly tracked her prey. Even now long out of sight, she could still trace the remnants of their presence, giving her the perfect trail to follow. That trail led her deeper into the bowels of District Ten, until she came upon an abandoned warehouse. She could see the tracks of her prey leading inside, the main doors left partially open in his haste to escape.
Rakko's smirk widened and she slowly stalked her way inside the warehouse.
The doors slammed shut after she entered, and Rakko could hear and smell two people behind her, just out of view of her vision. They rushed to grab her, but Rakko's reflexes kept her a step ahead of them.
She spun around, arms extended and straightened out in the direction of the two thugs. The movement assembled the collapsible sniper rifles hidden inside her clothing, and she wasted little time in firing them. This close to her targets, her shots scored direct hits, blasting a hole in one thug's forehead, while she pierced the other in the chest, drilling straight through his heart.
Both thugs collapsed, dead before they'd even hit the floor. Rakko had little time to enjoy her victory, however, as she heard another opponent race toward her to take advantage of her distracted state. She smirked, glancing back behind her as she watched her foe—the same one she'd tracked all the way to this warehouse—swing a baseball bat directly at her head.
She ducked beneath the blow with ease, and extended her arm forward again to fire into her foe's stomach. He stumbled backward, dropping his bat as he gasped out in pain. Crimson blood started flowing freely from his green shirt, further staining the black leather jacket he wore.
Rakko lowered her hand, this time firing a bullet into her prey's knee. He screamed with pain, his legs collapsing out from under him as he slammed into the floor. For good measure, she shot his other leg as well, fully immobilizing him as he wreathed in agony.
"Fuck!" he cursed, clutching his wounded stomach as more screams of pain leapt from his throat. "You crazy bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"
"Will you now?" Rakko inquired, a wicked smile lighting up her face. "And how are you going to do that with three wounded limbs?"
Her foe, a young adult with black hair in a pompadour style and a pencil-thin mustache, snarled at her with blood-stained teeth. "Y-You dumb bitch! You only hit—!"
She interrupted him with a targeted shot to his right shoulder, eliciting another pain-filled yelp from him.
"Fuck, fuck!" he groaned, his face rapidly paling as more and more of his blood stained the floor around him. "Fuck, okay! You win, you win! What the fuck do you want?! Do you want money? I-I can get you money! Me and my boys, we got plenty—!"
A shot to his other arm cut him off again, and Rakko felt a chill go down her spine as her prey howled in pain. With him now fully immobilized, Rakko steadily approached him, stopping until she was just a few feet away from his shaking body.
"Oh, I'm afraid that isn't going to work," she sweetly declared, her smile widening into a deranged grin. "You see, I'm doing all of this to help out my dear friend. She works in Judgment, you know, and she complains about you Skill-Out hooligans all the time. So, I thought: why not help lighten her load a little, by taking out the trash? It's the least I could do for a friend, isn't it?"
Her prey gave a weaker groan this time, despair evident in his face as her words fully sunk in with him. Rakko couldn't help but enjoy that look of anguish, yet another delightful shiver shuddering through her body. Ah, seeing the look in her victim's eyes as they realized just how screwed they were…it was an exquisite feeling.
"So, if you have any last words or requests, I'd love to hear them," Rakko went on, squatting down beside her victim. "I can't promise I'll honor it, but hey, I'm always curious what people wish for just before they die. You would not believe how many people end up crying out for their parents."
She stared down at him, her vicious grin still stretched across her lips, but she didn't receive a response. She cocked her head after a moment, wondering if he'd somehow bled to death already; but his chest was still rising up and down, however weakly. She looked back at his face, finally noticing that he was looking away from her and staring off to the side. Her eyes followed his gaze, but there was nothing there.
"Kurozuma," he whispered, his eyes still latched onto something she couldn't see. "I'm sor—"
She silenced him with a single shot to the side of his head.
Rakko stood back up, a smile still on her face as she watched his blood drain onto the warehouse floor. Then she turned around, and with a clack of her shoes she started walking away.
She couldn't hunt down every last member of Skill-Out, of course; or any of the other gangs in Academy City, for that matter. There were so many of them, and she was just one girl. But, she was certain she could kill enough of them to make Kuroko's job just a little easier.
After all, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for her beloved best friend.
"—And there was Shirai, oblivious as can be, telling me that she'd slept with another girl! Wh-what was I supposed to think, after she had already told me she was attracted to girls, and not boys?! So of course I assumed she must have meant it in that way, not literally, and Shirai had the gall to look stunned when I asked her when she got a new girlfriend—!"
Ruiko Saten blinked rapidly, pausing only to take bites from her sundae as her best friend, Kazari Uiharu, continued to rant and rave about the infamous Kuroko Shirai. The two of them were seated together at a food court in one of Academy City's many malls, enjoying some ice cream as they took a break from their shopping trip. Or, at least, they had initially. Saten had made the mistake of asking Uiharu how her duties at Judgment had been going lately, and now…
That was fifteen minutes ago. Her ice cream was starting to melt, and Uiharu was still going on about Kuroko Shirai.
This was far from the first time Saten heard about Uiharu's Judgment partner, nor was it the first time she'd been subjected to a rant about Shirai. As close as the two of them were, they did butt heads now and again, and Saten had heard how most of those spats had transpired. But these rantings had become far more frequent in recent weeks, after Shirai had had a stint at the hospital.
It was an impressive sight, seeing Uiharu getting so riled up; Saten had almost never seen her get so flustered and animated, outside of the times when she checked out Uiharu's underwear. Uiharu was normally a pretty calm and easygoing girl on most days, so it took a lot to get her going. And to hear that Shirai was doing it on an almost daily basis with her, by accident…
Honestly, it made her a little jealous.
"—And then Shirai assured me that even if she ever did start dating anyone, she'd never neglect our friendship, and she had such a sincere look on her face, and she was holding my hands, and ugh, it was like the Raffle Incident all over again! She can be such a boy—!"
Ruiko took another bite of her ice cream, idly watching as Uiharu continued to complain. If nothing else, it certainly made for an entertaining show: though Uiharu would probably get mad at her if she ever said that out loud.
"Uiharu—" Saten tried to say, hoping to interrupt her.
But to her dismay, her friend talked right over her.
"—And Shirai embarrassed me so much when we were helping out that German tourist! He didn't really know what Judgment was, so when Shirai said I was her partner, he seemed to think she meant romantically, and called us a 'sweet looking couple'. And Shirai didn't get his real meaning at all so she just mindlessly agreed, and I was too mortified to try and clear up the misunderstanding—!"
Now how on earth could someone be so oblivious? Saten mused over the thought as she continued to eat her ice cream. Based on what Uiharu had said in the past, Kuroko Shirai was a pretty smart lady. She had to be, if just because of the complex math her ability apparently required. Plus she attended Tokiwadai: not only did it only allow in Level Three girls and above, but it also only accepted the absolute best and brightest. So Shirai was no dummy. In which case, what was the cause of Shirai's obliviousness when it came to things like romantic interest? Saten could think of a few answers there.
Maybe Shirai was an urban legend in the making: the Black Hole of Love, dragging in hapless young maidens into her orbit, and tearing them asunder as they were brought into her void of utter obliviousness and hilarious misunderstandings! It was an amusing enough thought, so much so that Saten had to hold back a laugh. It certainly seemed like an urban legend that could exist in this city. Maybe she ought to do some independent research, and see if any rumors were already circulating about this Black Hole?
Her mind sobered up a moment later, though, as another thought occurred to her. It seemed just as likely, if not moreso, that Shirai just had a really low opinion of herself and her own desirability. And that in turn made her think no one could possibly ever see her in a romantic light.
She hoped it was the former option; it was a lot funnier, and far less depressing than the latter.
"Uiharu—" Saten tried to chime in again, raising her voice this time.
But once more her friend continued her ravings without pause.
"—And then Shirai had the nerve to ask why I was so frustrated with her! I swear Saten, sometimes I think she's just doing it on purpose to mess with me! She's just so—she drives me crazy when she acts like that! And when she acts so earnestly confused, it makes it harder to stay mad at her, because then it feels like I'm kicking a puppy, and—!"
"Uiharu!" Ruiko spoke up a third time, this time practically yelling at her best friend to cut through her meandering words.
"Huh?" she stared back at her in surprise, finally startled out of her dissertation.
"Your ice cream's starting to melt."
Uiharu gasped and looked down in alarm at her food, her eyes widening as she confirmed Saten's words. "Oh, shoot!"
Uiharu grabbed her spoon and started shoveling mouthfuls of the partially-melted treat into her mouth, causing Saten to giggle.
Blissful silence descended upon them as they both enjoyed their sweets, Saten quite thankful her friend had finally listened to her. When Uiharu got this wound up about Shirai, it was always best to distract her before she got too deep into her rantings. Otherwise she could waste hours talking about Shirai.
Yet again, Ruiko felt an odd pang of jealousy.
"Sounds like Shirai's been on your mind a lot," she idly commented, gauging Uiharu's face for her reaction.
A light blush rose to Uiharu's cheeks, and she gave a reluctant little nod. "I, um, I suppose so. But it's only because Shirai can be so annoying! She's my friend, and I care for her, but sometimes she is. Just. So. Aggravating!"
Uiharu punctuated her statement with a vicious stab of her ice cream, scooping up a large portion to eat.
Saten nodded, the gears turning in her head as she digested Kazari's words. After a few more moments of thought, she asked what felt like the most natural and logical follow up question.
"Do you have a crush on Shirai?"
Uiharu choked as she swallowed a mouthful of ice cream, and took a few moments to beat her chest as she recovered. When she did, her entire face was flushed a deep red as she stared at her.
"Wh-why would you ask something like that?!" she demanded, her eyes wide in shock.
"Well," Saten began, giving a small shrug. "You've been talking about her a lot lately, especially about the stuff she does to 'embarrass' you. And a lot of that seems to center around being mistaken for being Shirai's girlfriend, or stuff like that. Sooo…it makes me wonder: do you have a crush on her? Would you like to be Shirai's girlfriend?"
Uiharu gaped at her, sputtering as she tried to muster up a reply. "Of course not! I, Shirai and I, w-we're just friends! I don't feel that way about her at all!"
Saten narrowed her eyes and stared skeptically at Uiharu, making a doubtful noise as she did so. Uiharu studiously avoided her gaze a moment later, squirming in her seat as her crimson blush betrayed her.
"If you say so," Saten said after a moment, leaning back in her seat.
"I do!" Uiharu insisted, her face twisting into a pout as she glared at her. "Honestly, Saten, d-don't ask embarrassing questions like that!"
After that, little else was exchanged between the two of them as they finished up their sweets. Saten used that time to sketch out the rough outlines of a plan in her mind. By the time she and Uiharu were disposing of their temporary utensils, that plan had properly solidified, and Saten decided to give voice to it.
"You know, I think I want to meet Shirai," she casually said.
"Eh?" Uiharu did a double-take, glancing over at her in surprise.
Saten nodded to herself, an anticipatory grin spreading across her features. "You heard me right, Uiharu! I've heard so much about the infamous Kuroko Shirai, that I just have to see her for myself now. If she's that good at getting a rise out of you, then I have to step up my game! I don't want to start falling behind now. And the only way I can do that is seeing her for myself!"
Uiharu made an uncertain noise at that. "Um, well, if you really want I could invite you to hang out with her the next time we're both free…? B-But, I really don't like the idea of you doing it just to embarrass me more…"
"Well, obviously I want to befriend her as well," Ruiko assured her, reaching over to pat Uiharu's shoulder. "Honestly, the way you've described Shirai before now, she sounds like a real cool girl. Plus, she's from Tokiwadai! I've always wanted to meet someone from there. So this won't just be for me to take notes and observe! Though I will definitely make sure to do that as well."
A series of conflicted expressions flickered over Uiharu's features, and Ruiko swore she could see a look of jealousy flash in her friend's eyes. But after a few moments, a resigned look settled over her face, and she gave a sigh.
"Well, okay. I'll make sure to invite you the next time we're out. Just…please. Please don't embarrass me! I-I don't want you to make Shirai think I'm weird or anything!" she pleaded, clasping her hands together.
"Please, when have I ever done anything to embarrass you?" Saten scoffed shamelessly.
She had to try really hard not to laugh at the dirty look Uiharu shot at her.
"...I just know I'm going to regret this," Uiharu mumbled to herself, hanging her head down in dismay.
Saten giggled mischievously, already looking forward to this momentous meeting. After hearing so much about Kuroko Shirai, she really was eager to meet her in person now. She equally looked forward to cracking the enigma that was Academy City's Black Hole of Love! And maybe while she was at it, she could help push her friend along to realize her true feelings.
"Oh, that reminds me," Saten said, and reached over to lift up Uiharu's skirt. "Ah, polka-dots today, I see."
"Noooo!"
From the moment Mikoto Misaka had met Kuroko Shirai, she hadn't been quite sure what to make of the girl. Their first, chance meeting had been a little awkward, truth be told, with Shirai seeming almost painfully shy. That impression hadn't been improved with their second meeting, when Shirai had spouted some nonsense about some old dead guy. And in their third meeting…well, honestly, she still wasn't sure why Shirai had seen fit to teleport away just to slap herself. But at least that conversation had ended more normally than their last two, and given her a more concrete understanding of Shirai as well. By the end of that day, Mikoto had cemented in her mind that Kuroko Shirai was quite the unusual young girl.
But, that wasn't to say she disliked her. Far from it, in fact. Mikoto didn't mind odd people, and Shirai was certainly more interesting than a lot of the girls she'd met at Tokiwadai. If anything, Shirai's nature had made her more intrigued about her, and had caused Mikoto to open up to her during their chance encounter at the arcade. And the things she heard there…
Now Mikoto knew that Shirai wasn't just an odd, shy young girl with a penchant to blurt out weird things: she was also a girl in desperate need of help. She hadn't been thrilled with Shirai's decision to join Shokuhou's clique, and had almost suspected Shokuhou of directly interfering with the girl when questioning her later. But, if Shirai was part of it so Shokuhou could help her manage some condition…well, it at least made it more understandable. It was really shitty of Shokuhou to make Shirai join her clique as a condition of helping her, but at least she was providing help in the first place.
But everything she heard from Shirai at the arcade? That crossed a line, and raised so many red flags.
She'd never liked Shokuhou, sure, but she'd also never thought the supposed 'Queen' would ever act so disgracefully with her junior, let alone one who was dependent on her for her health! Ugh, just thinking about it made Mikoto's skin crawl. Even worse, Shirai had tried to defend her, and protested the very idea of Shokuhou doing anything wrong. Clearly, Shokuhou was taking advantage of her, and trying to condition Shirai to see her creepy behavior as normal. And that assumed she wasn't outright using her ability to override any objections Shirai might have had…
Well, there had been only one clear course of action to take from there. Shirai might have to rely on Shokuhou to help manage her condition, but that didn't mean she had to be fully dependent on her and at her mercy. So Mikoto had worked to save Shirai from Shokuhou's clutches, and confronted the Queen directly.
Granted, that meeting certainly hadn't transpired the way she'd imagined it would. She hadn't expected to see Shokuhou's face drawn on, marked to make her look like some evil aristocratic European. That sight alone had reduced her to laughter for a good five minutes, which in hindsight was worth it, given how angry it had made Misaki. When Shirai had said she'd gotten back at Shokuhou, she had really meant it.
That sight had also mollified her anger somewhat. If Shirai could get away with drawing on her face, then it meant Shokuhou hadn't outright brainwash her into obedience. That had thus eased her opinion on the situation a little. The genuine offense Shokuhou had taken after being questioned on her taking any improprieties with Shirai had also calmed her down some; if Mikoto had suspected Shokuhou had taken any actual liberties with Shirai, well, getting shocked into a blackened crisp would have been the least of her punishment. Her overall controlling behavior with Shirai still set off alarms in her head, though, so she'd gone ahead with her initial demand, after interrogating Shokuhou.
Mikoto wasn't quite sure she liked how easily Shokuhou had capitulated to her demands, but a victory was a victory. Once she had gotten the Dorm Supervisor on board, it had been fairly easy to make Kuroko Shirai her new roommate. And Shirai herself had been all too happy to accept the dorm room transfer, much to her own relief. So after a few days of waiting for the paperwork to be fully processed, Shirai was now officially her roommate.
So that brought Mikoto here to the present, helping Shirai move into her dorm.
It only took a few trips to Shirai's old dorm to move all of her stuff down to their room, and she was now in the process of unpacking and settling all of her things on her side of the room. Mikoto idly watched her as she went about her business, leaning back on her bed. She'd offered to help Shirai put her stuff away, but the younger girl had declined her assistance.
As Shirai worked at putting her writing materials away, Mikoto felt her eyes drawn toward the cross dangling from her neck. She eyed the golden metal curiously, studying it for a few moments longer before she spoke aloud.
"Are you a Christian, Shirai?"
She stiffened at her sudden question while an odd look flashed over her face. Shirai remained silent a few seconds longer, before casually saying, "What makes you ask?"
"Oh, I just saw the cross you're wearing," Mikoto replied, gesturing to the necklace. "I was just curious, I guess. I don't think I've met too many Christians in Academy City, outside of the foreign visitors."
In fact, Mikoto couldn't think of any other students she'd met, here at Tokiwadai or elsewhere, who were part of any of the Western faiths. It wasn't like Christianity was an especially popular religion in Japan to begin with. She vaguely remembered reading somewhere that Christians comprised less than a percent of Japan's total religious population, and Academy City wasn't a friendly place to religion in general, given the Curriculum's strict focus on scientific thought and rationalist beliefs.
Shirai remained silent in response, a faraway look in her eyes. Seeing that, Mikoto couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Maybe it was a sensitive subject for her?
But before she could say anything else, Shirai gave her an answer.
"Yes. I'm Christian, though I haven't been as active with my faith as I used to be," she said, looking off to the side. "I guess you could say I'm in the process of reevaluating my faith right now."
Well, that answer only made her feel guiltier. Mikoto winced; clearly, this was a sensitive issue with Shirai. Quickly, she searched for something to say to distract from this rather maudlin conversation.
Her salvation came as Shirai started to open up and unpack one of her other boxes. The likeliness of a certain green-skinned anime character caught her eye from inside of the box.
"Hey, is that Piccolo?"
"Hm? Oh, yes!" Shirai nodded, hefting the aforementioned toy into full view. The figure itself was molded in a dynamic pose, the green-skinned alien extending an arm forward at an unseen opponent.
"I've always been a fan of Dragon Ball, and Piccolo's one of my favorite characters in it," she happily said. "Personally, Trunks is my favorite of all the characters, but I haven't found a good figure of him that I like yet."
Mikoto nodded, staring at the figure for a few more moments before she glanced back at Shirai herself.
"So you're into toys?" she asked.
"Figurines," Shirai corrected her.
"Hm? Is there a difference?" Mikoto inquired curiously.
Shirai paused in her motions and moved to fully face her, a gravely serious expression carved onto her features. Mikoto was startled to see such a look, and no less surprised when Shirai launched into a lecture.
"Of course there is a difference! Toys are meant to be played with by children. They're cheap, often not that detailed or nice looking, and not meant for display. Figurines, however, are fully oriented toward adult collectors. They are made of more expensive material, not meant to be played with in the slightest, and are purely for display. Furthermore, figurines can be a lot more fragile than actual toys, meaning one has to take greater care of a figurine as compared to a toy, lest it break. And of course, the detailing difference between toys and proper figurines cannot be understated! Furthermore—!"
"Okay, okay," she said, raising her hands up in supplication. "I get it, there's a difference. Didn't mean to upset you or anything."
Shirai huffed, still staring at her with that overly serious look on her face. A moment later though, she smiled and clasped her hands together.
"That does remind me. I need to set some ground rules when it comes to my stuff," she said, an oddly chilling undertone to her otherwise cheery voice. "When it comes to my clothes, my books, my dvds, my pens, my makeup, and everything else, you're welcome to borrow them as you need. I honestly don't mind. But my figures? Well, they're a different story."
Shirai took a step closer to her, and Mikoto felt a spark of alarm go off in her head. She scooted away from Shirai, nervously locking eyes with her new roommate as the most deranged smile she'd ever seen spread across her lips. At the same time, she could feel an almost sinister aura emanating from Shirai.
She continued, "You're welcome to stare at my figures all you want: I don't mind. But that's all you can do with them. Unless I give you explicit permission otherwise, you are not to touch them. Not at all. If you try to do anything with them, anything at all, I will gut you like a pig. And if I ever find out that you tried to touch any of them while I was gone—god forbid, if I find out that you left so much as a scratch on any of my figures—then I will murder you."
A long moment of uncomfortable silence lingered between them in the aftermath of that insane statement. Mikoto was left gaping at Shirai, utterly flabbergasted by her sudden change in behavior.
"Um," Mikoto started to say.
"Good! I'm glad we have an understanding!" Shirai abruptly declared, and just like that, the dark aura she was projecting vanished.
She focused back on her figures, eagerly setting them up on her bookshelf as she hummed to herself. Mikoto, meanwhile, was left staring at her roommate like she'd grown a second head.
What the hell was that?
Before she could dwell on that odd turn of events for too long though, Shirai started speaking again.
"You have your Gekota collection, and I have my figurines. Just think of them as being on the same wavelength, if that helps."
Mikoto felt a small blush rise to her cheeks, and she gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah, you've heard about that, have you?"
It wasn't like it was a secret or anything, but still, hearing people talk about it always made her feel a little self conscious. And anyway, if Shirai really was that zealous about her precious figures, then it wasn't a fair comparison at all. She was nowhere near as bloodthirsty about Gekota merchandise!
"Ah…yes, I have. Speaking of, that reminds me!"
Shirai darted over to another box and opened it up, pulling out a—
"Is that a Gekota?!" Mikoto yelped, jumping to her feet.
Her eyes widened, fixating on the plush as she studied every last minute detail of it. She recognized it, too! This was…this was a holy grail of Gekota-themed merchandise!
"Yes, I—" Shirai started to say, but she was cut off as Mikoto interjected.
"A limited edition Arisa Meigo-themed Gekota! I-I never thought I'd see one in person! They only made five hundred of them, and they sold out in seconds on Meigo's website. I tried to buy one in the aftermarket, but they always get snatched up faster than I can make a bid on it. I even heard there was a raffle contest recently where one was a prize, but I only found out about it after the fact," she rambled, her entire world narrowing to focus on The Gekota.
"Ah, is that so?" her roommate commented in a strange tone.
"I almost didn't think they were real, they were that elusive! I've spent months trying to track one down, but they always just slipped out of my grasp. But now, seeing one in person…ah, it almost hurts to look at. And it's so cute! Far cuter than I ever could have imagined!" Mikoto exclaimed, stars sparkling in her eyes.
"Oh god, is this what I sound like?" Shirai mumbled to herself, but Mikoto paid her no heed as she continued to stare enviously at the plush.
A few seconds of awkward silence passed between them, Mikoto too wrapped up in her staring to say anything else. It was finally Shirai who broke the quiet, clearing her throat as she held the plushie out to her.
"As I was going to say, I don't have much use for the plushie myself. So, um, I thought I'd give it to you, if you want it. You know, as a welcoming present."
Mikoto's eyes snapped back up to Shirai, a dramatic gasp escaping her lips as the full gravity of what she'd said registered with her. "D-Do you really mean it?!"
Shirai nodded, and Mikoto let out a squeal of pure joy. She rushed to Shirai, excitedly wrapping her up in a bone-crushing hug.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Mikoto gushed, a beaming grin split across her face.
"Arfargle," Shirai choked out, her entire face bathed in a crimson flush.
Mikoto held onto the hug a moment longer before letting her roommate go. She eagerly took the plushie from Shirai's twitching fingers, another squeal escaping her lips as she held onto the Gekota.
"Ah, you're the best, Shirai!" Mikoto enthused, giggling some more as she settled back on her bed.
"Marry me."
"Hm?" Mikoto questioned, looking back up at her.
"I mean," Shirai stammered, her face still quite red. "That is, you can just call me Kuroko, if you want."
Mikoto considered the offer for a few seconds, before offering her another grin.
"Sure! And you can call me Mikoto in return."
Kuroko seemed to blush even harder at her words, but a happy little smile spread across her lips all the same. In a more subdued tone, she said, "Well…I'm happy to be your roommate, Mikoto."
Mikoto smiled again, and nodded in agreement. "I'm happy to have you too, Kuroko. I think we're going to get along great."
"Have you heard, have you heard? Mikoto Misaka picked a fight with Misaki Shokuhou! They're arguing over the new teleporter, Kuroko Shirai!"
"That's not all! I heard the Railgun bullied the Queen into changing Shirai's dorm room! So now Kuroko Shirai is part of the Shokuhou Clique and roommates with Misaka!"
"Oh, that's not the worst of it! I heard a rumor that Shirai and the Queen were in BED together, and gave Shokuhou a love bite! I couldn't see any marks on her neck, so it must be hidden somewhere under her clothes."
"How scandalous! Shirai hasn't even been here a month, and she already has two Level Fives wrapped around her fingers! Is she trying to become the Shadow Queen of Tokiwadai? Or maybe this is part of a secret plot to make herself a Level Five?"
"Just what sort of girl is she?"
"Kuroko Shirai, do you know, do you know? Do you even know who you are?"
Misaki Shokuhou eyed her two closest friends, glancing back and forth between Junko Hokaze and Satori Kobayashi. Misaki had an unusually grave look on her face, an expression that Kobayashi mirrored with her own tense visage. Junko, in contrast, seemed as happy and carefree as ever, with a light smile resting on her features.
Misaki felt a strong urge to wipe that happy grin off of Junko's face with her ability, but she refrained from such a frivolous use of her power. Instead, she turned her eyes over to Kobayashi, who actually seemed to take their dire situation with the appropriate seriousness it deserved.
"So, Kobayashi. How bad are the rumors now?"
Kobayashi didn't answer for a long moment; and when she did, Misaki had the distinct feeling she was being judged.
"Are you really taking this seriously, Shokuhou?"
"What? Of course I am!" Misaki scoffed, shooting her a sour glare. "Why would you think otherwise?!"
Kobayashi sighed, taking another moment of silence as she pinched the bridge of her nose. When she answered, Misaki almost swore she heard her teeth grinding.
"Shokuhou, just look at yourself."
Misaki did so, taking full stock of her current situation. The three of them were gathered together in the clubroom that her clique used for their meetings. She herself was sprawled out on her special sofa bed, while her two friends stood directly in front of her. Two other clique members stood off to the side, using their abilities to help Misaki cool off, while a third clique member, one Kisa Asato, was kindly offering her a cold drink, which she eagerly took.
"I don't see what the problem is," Misaki frankly admitted before taking a sip from her drink. "Besides, I just had a workout session with Junko! I could use a little rest and relaxation after working up a sweat."
Kobayashi sighed and shook her head in disbelief. Nevertheless, she circled back to the question she had originally been asked.
"So do you want to know the good news, or the bad news first?"
Misaki tilted her head, considering the question seriously. "Well, I suppose I could use some good news right—"
"There is no good news," Kobayashi viciously interjected.
She pursed her lips in response, glaring at Kobayashi for getting her hopes up. A few moments later she expelled an explosive sigh, and murmured, "Fine, fine. Just tell me how bad it is, then."
"Well, we were able to do extensive polling of the student body," Kobayashi said, launching into her report. "Around thirty-five percent of respondents are convinced you are in a relationship with Kuroko Shirai. Twenty percent believe the two of you have broken up, and that Kuroko is now together with Mikoto Misaka. Eighteen percent believe the three of you are in a torrid and passionate love-triangle, with differing opinions on which coupling is in the lead. A further fifteen percent believe that Shirai is stringing the two of you along, in a bid to either take over the school, or make herself a Level Five. Finally, the remaining twelve percent either have no opinion on the matter, or subscribe to especially esoteric theories that do not have a large sway over the student body as a whole."
Misaki gave a long-suffering groan in the face of that news. She massaged at her temples with her hands, glaring at her friend as if she were responsible for the torrid gossip spreading around campus. "Do I want to know what some of these 'esoteric theories' even are?"
Kobayashi stared at her blankly for a terribly long minute. "Well, that depends. How far down the rabbit hole do you want to venture, Shokuhou? Because once you're in deep, there's no coming back."
"Surely they're not that bad—" Hokaze started to say, but was cut off by Kobayashi.
"I had a freshman try to explain to me, in all earnestness, why she believed that Kuroko Shirai was a spy sent by Hargrove Boys Academy to try and bring down School Garden from the inside. Believe me, it gets really ridiculous, really fast."
Misaki raised an eyebrow at that, and gave a slow nod. "Okay, point taken."
She fell silent after that, grimacing as she contemplated her next course of action. When no new immediate response was forthcoming from her, Kobayashi took the opportunity to speak again.
"I'm sorry, can we circle back to something else? Did you say you were exercising with Hokaze?" she asked, an incredulous tone to her voice. "What, did you lose a bet?"
Misaki glared at her, but Kobayashi matched her stare with a cool gaze of her own.
"Oh, yes. Our Queen has seen the necessity to…" Junko trailed off, searching for a polite way to phrase the next part of her sentence. "...Seek out help in building up her stamina and strength! It was one of Kuroko's suggestions, actually. I've taken over training duties for the most part, but Kuroko helps out when I am unavailable."
"Did Gaouin's comment about your thighs get to you?" Kobayashi asked with genuine concern. "Queen, there's no shame in having, ah, thicker thighs than other girls."
Misaki twitched at that, and a full on blush bloomed across her cheeks. "No, her comment most certainly did not get to me! I'm just…correcting a weakness that has recently been brought to my attention. That is all, Kobayashi."
Kobayashi raised a skeptical eyebrow in response, but declined to probe the matter any further. Instead she pointed out, "You do know that having private exercise sessions with Shirai won't help the rumors any."
"I am aware!" Misaki heatedly replied, glaring at her again.
She gave another sigh, and remarked in a forlorn tone, "Ugh, all this gossip is driving me crazy! I swear, I've never seen the rumor mill at Tokiwadai so active."
"Yes, it certainly doesn't help that Shirai has a rather unique tendency to say suggestive things," Kobayashi wryly remarked. "Let's be honest, a lot of this gossip can be traced back to her and the things she blurts out."
"Oh, believe me, I'm intimately aware of that as well. I've tried to gently suggest to Shirai to pick her words more carefully, but it's like talking to a brick wall. Unless I spell it out for her, it'll just fly over her head," Misaki noted in dismay.
"And why haven't you spelled it out for her?" Satori reasonably asked.
"Well, despite what her outward appearance might suggest, Shirai can be painfully self-conscious and, let's say, hypercritical of herself. I'm afraid being blunt might only make things worse for her," Misaki answered with a frown.
"Well, it could always be worse, Queen. I mean, is it so bad that everyone thinks you and Shirai are such good, close friends?" Junko pointed out in a hopeful tone.
A few seconds of silence lingered in the aftermath of that particular statement. Misaki shared a significant look with Kobayashi, who raised her hands up defensively.
"Hey, this is your mess, Queen. You should be the one to pull the pin on that grenade."
Misaki looked none too pleased with that, but all the same she turned her eyes back to the oblivious Junko. In a kind, patient tone, she began, "Junko, I need you to listen to me very carefully. A lot of the school is under the impression that Shirai and I are in a romantic relationship. As in, that we're dating."
Junko blinked rapidly, the gears slowly turning in her head as she stood there. When she made her response, it was in a far subdued and puzzled voice. "But…you two are both girls."
"Yes Junko, we are," she said. "But that doesn't matter. Girls can love other girls. In fact, while Shirai and I are not in a relationship, she is in fact attracted to girls, and not boys."
"Girls can…love other girls?" Junko repeated, still sounding confused.
She didn't say anything else, her eyes glazing over as she stared off into the middle distance. Misaki and Kobayashi both waited for her to say something, but after a little bit, it was clear no more replies were forthcoming from Hokaze.
"Okay, while she deals with that," Kobayashi moved on, looking back at Misaki. "There's one other thing I wanted to address."
She smiled at Misaki, though it was a grin that was far from friendly or sincere. Misaki drew backwards in response, feeling quite uneasy all of a sudden.
"Shokuhou, when were you going to tell me you slept with Shirai again?" Kobayashi inquired in a sweetly venomous timbre.
"Ah…" Misaki winced, and glanced off to the side guiltily. She quickly looked back at Kobayashi, however, as she observed the jealous and judging looks of the other clique members. "I was going to mention it soon?"
Kobayashi stared at her for a long moment, that sickly sweet smile still plastered on her face. Then, she lashed out with her hands, her fingers pinching both of Misaki's cheeks and pulling on them savagely.
"What did you do to that poor girl, Shokuhou?!"
Misaki yelped, cringing in pain as Kobayashi tormented her. With her voice distorted by her pinched cheeks she cried, "I told you already!I haven't done anything untoward with her! And she was already like this! Honest!"
Kobayashi yanked on her cheeks for a moment longer before abruptly letting go. Misaki winced in the aftermath, rubbing the tender skin as Kobayashi glared at her.
"I know you haven't been improper with her, but I can't help but worry that being so affectionate toward Shirai could end up giving her the wrong idea. And I'm still not sure why you're being that way with her in the first place. A lot of this is going way beyond just helping someone out with a condition. A condition you still haven't given us the full details on by the way," she remarked in a scathing voice.
Misaki remained silent for a while in response, her brow furrowed as she mulled over Kobayashi's words. A few seconds later, she straightened up on her sofa bed, and set her drink down on the floor. She glanced around at the other clique members present, and spoke aloud to them.
"I'd like to speak alone with Junko and Kobayashi, please. Can you give us the room?"
There was some light murmuring exchange between Kisa Asato and the other members, but they all nodded deferentially to her and filed out of the room. Once she was alone with her two friends, Misaki turned her attention back to them.
"What I'm about to say does not leave this room. Am I understood?"
Kobayashi blinked, not quite expecting her to adopt such a serious tone of voice. Nevertheless, she nodded in compliance, as did Junko, who had finally returned to her senses.
"Shirai does have a condition, of sorts. It's not a physical one, though," Misaki began. "Shirai is…a very troubled young girl. Something happened to her recently, and it's had an unintentionally disastrous effect on her mental health. Now, I've done what I can to help her calm down, and she's being seen by a professional. She's…as stable as she can be, for the moment. But it's a delicate situation, one that I'm keeping a close eye on."
Neither Kobayashi and Hokaze spoke up initially, the both of them taking a moment to digest Misaki's words. Both of them had troubled looks on their faces, though it was Junko who voiced her concerns first.
"Queen, just what is wrong with Shirai? Does it have something to do with the nightmare she had the other night?"
Misaki closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself before issuing her response. "Shirai is…well, I'm not going to mince words here. She's on the verge of a mental breakdown, one that I fear could end in her committing suicide."
Satori and Junko both let out a small gasp, horrified looks clear across their features.
Misaki nodded grimly at them, letting them have a moment to adjust to the news before she continued. "As I said, I've done my best to get her off the edge, and she's working through her issues with a professional. But Shirai is still in a critical stage right now. If it seems like I'm being overly affectionate with her, or coddling her…well, I'm doing it to help her. Shirai feels so alone right now, and she desperately needs someone in her corner to help her manage through this crisis. And, while this might sound self-aggrandizing, I am one of the few people in this city that can do that for her. I want her to feel like she can trust me, and I need her to know that I genuinely care for her. If that ends up fueling all these embarrassing rumors, well, that's a small price to pay.
"Still, there's a reason I'm telling you both this. I can't always be around Shirai, and I need people I can trust to check in with her when I can't. So, I need the two of you to watch out for her, and come straight to me if either of you feel like Shirai is starting to spiral. Do you understand?"
Kobayashi and Hokaze exchanged a brief look, and they both gave her firm, serious nods.
"You can count on us, Queen," Junko spoke up first in a stalwart tone. "We'll watch out for Kuroko, and do our best to make sure she feels welcome in the clique."
Kobayashi murmured her own agreement and nodded alongside Junko. "We'll make sure she's well taken care of, Queen. But, I need to know: do you intend to tell the rest of the clique?"
Misaki considered the issue, looking off to the side before she made her final decision. "It's not that I don't trust everyone else, but…the more people who know, the greater the chance that this information is leaked, even if by accident. It's one thing for these silly love rumors to be spread about Shirai. I do not want the rumor mill to touch her mental health. So, we'll just tell everyone else that Shirai's condition means that she needs consistent observation, and that any abnormalities with her should be reported to one of us three right away. Does that work with you both?"
Kobayashi and Hokaze nodded again, much to Misaki's relief; however, her eyes flickered back over to Kobayashi as she caught sight of an uncertain look.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"Well, it's just…hearing all this about Shirai makes me even more worried," Kobayashi confessed. "If it's not too personal…can I ask, what exactly happened to her?"
Misaki brought her gloved hands together and pressed them against her mouth, debating the merits of confessing the full truth. After a few moments of indecision she said, "I think…both of you should know the full truth there, as well. It's only fair that you know the whole story with Shirai, if you're going to help me in keeping an eye on her. Now…this is all going to sound very fantastical and absurd. But, I can vouch for it one hundred percent."
With that said, she started to go into the tale of Kuroko Shirai's reincarnation. She glossed over the source of Shirai's meta-knowledge: better to not burden her friends with that sort of life-altering knowledge. Besides that, however, she told them just about everything.
By the time she finished, Junko and Kobayashi had intense, thoughtful looks on their faces. There was hardly any time to let them digest the knowledge, however, before there was a light knock at the door as it suddenly opened up.
Misaki raised an eyebrow as Shirai herself walked in, closing the door behind her before she strode on over.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, her eyes quickly raking over Shirai's body.
"I'm fine," Shirai assured her, briefly glancing over at Hokaze and Kobayashi. "There was just something I wanted to talk to you about."
She paused, giving the other two another look. Misaki was quick to wave away her concerns, though.
"It's fine, they can hear. I already told them about your reincarnation."
Shirai's head snapped back toward her, and a series of intense expressions flashed over her face, until she settled on a terse frown. Through grinding teeth, Shirai asked, "And you didn't think to consult me first about that?"
"I trust them, Shirai. Besides, Kobayashi was bound to find out anyway," Misaki defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest. "She isn't just a telepath; she can read minds, as well. Mostly surface thoughts, but..."
Shirai blinked at that, and gave Kobayashi another look. A few moments later though, her eyes flicked back over to Misaki, a grimace still etched on her features.
"I would have liked to have been asked about this first, either way. This is still my life we're talking about," Shirai snapped.
"I apologize on behalf of the Queen, Shirai. Shokuhou doesn't always take our feelings into consideration when she's doing what she thinks is in our best interests," Kobayashi said, sending her a glare. Junko, surprisingly, matched her look as she gave Misaki her own pointed stare.
Misaki bristled at that, opening her mouth to give a quick retort—
However, Shirai circumvented her as she started talking again. "Look, it doesn't matter right now. If they're read in, fine, sure, whatever. We can address that later. What I came to talk to you about was Accelerator. I have a plan on how I want to deal with him."
Misaki turned her attention back to Shirai, giving her her full focus. She stared at her intently, wondering just what sort of scheme she was coming up with. Going off the look on her face alone...
"You're not going to like it," Shirai confirmed her suspicions, giving another grimace before launching into her explanation.
She was right. Misaki did not like it.
Deep inside a certain windowless building, resided the most powerful person in Academy City. Though he did not look like it at a glance: trapped within the bowels of his windowless prison, encased inside a glass tub filled with a strange, amber-colored fluid. Floating upside and seemingly dressed in a hospital gown, this man looked more like a patient or experiment of some mad scientist.
But, appearances could be deceiving. Whatever one might think of him at a glance, Aleister Crowley was the most powerful person in Academy City. Almost everything that happened here, happened because it was part of his grand design. Aleister Crowley was the type of person to have plans within plans, to have so many wheels spinning that few could even comprehend the many things he had set into motion. Not everything went according to his plans, of course; in fact, one could say that Aleister's many failures outweighed his successes. But even his failures helped to advance his grand design, inching him closer and closer to his desired future.
Still, there were times when unexpected variables threw him off. Acts of God, one might call them, though Aleister detested the term personally. Touma Kamijou was the main exemplar of this: his Imagine Breaker could do truly wondrous things, and could upset his careful calculations in a variety of ways. But, considering how pivotal the Imagine Breaker was to his schemes, it was an unexpected variable that he'd come to accept.
And then there were situations where something truly unpredictable would happen.
Aleister got the first hints that something like this was the case when he received an alert from within his glass tube. The center of the glass shimmered, before a locked report projected itself onto the surface of the glass. The report itself was an assessment straight from Tree Diagram, and furthermore, carried a first class security clearance that only he himself could access.
By this point, Aleister's curiosity was piqued. He uttered a simple command phrase, and the glass shimmered again as the full contents of the report were unlocked for him. It contained the System Scan of one Kuroko Shirai of Tokiwadai Middle School.
His eyes quickly scanned the contents therein, his mind rapidly absorbing the information provided to him by Tree Diagram. It seemed that Shirai's results were wildly different from her last scan, so much so that her entire previous trajectory had been thrown off. Now, she was displaying an entirely new potential, a wider array of possibilities now open to her. And the cause of it all, as deduced by Tree Diagram's hyper-advanced algorithms—
Aleister stopped in his reading. He blinked several times in mute surprise, and then, ever so slowly, a smile touched his lips.
"A previous life? How fascinating."
Author's Note:
The Second Arc starts next chapter!