The trip to Komoe's was far from the end of her journey that day. After some careful questioning from her, Kuroko was checked into Heaven Canceller's hospital to undergo an evaluation. Misaki and Komoe both accompanied her, and stayed with her through the check-in process. Heaven Canceller himself joined them an hour after she arrived, and conducted his own careful questioning as Komoe and Misaki waited outside to give her some privacy.
By the end of it all, Kuroko felt completely exhausted. She looked off to the side, staring at nothing in particular as Heaven Canceller left the room. She could hear him speaking to Tsukuyomi and Shokuhou outside in a hushed tone, but she didn't even bother trying to listen in on them.
When he came back into the room, Komoe and Misaki accompanied him.
"I was hesitant before to prescribe something: I wanted to make sure there weren't any neurological issues related to your resurfaced memories, before doing that. But it's clear to me now we can't wait on that. I've talked with Miss Tsukuyomi, and we've both agreed that we need to take a more proactive approach to better your mental health. To that end, I'm going to prescribe you a series of specialized antidepressants. These should help in curbing the worst of your symptoms, though we may have to test a few different variants over the next few weeks to find a combination that works best for you," he said.
Kuroko nodded dimly, still staring at nothing as he talked. After a beat, Heaven Canceller cleared his throat and resumed his speech.
"I also think it's best that you start seeing Miss Tsukuyomi three times a week now, if you're able to fit that into your schedule. If need be, we can work together with Tokiwadai to arrange visitations with her during school hours so your Judgment work isn't negatively impacted. Furthermore, I've given Miss Shokuhou permission to use her ability to help enhance the prescriptions I'm giving you as need be. Between her and your medicine, that should be able to prevent any more depressive episodes from occurring."
Kuroko glanced over at that, fixing her gaze on the frog-faced doctor. After a few moments she gave a wordless nod, and stared down at her lap.
"I'm also going to keep you here under observation for the next forty-eight hours, perhaps a day or two longer. We're going to start your new medication tonight, and wait to see how you adjust to them. After that, presuming there are no other complications, you should be able to go back to your dorm after the end of the observation period," Heaven Canceller added.
Kuroko gave a small sigh while a grimace tugged at her lips. She looked back up at him, and in a regretful tone she said, "I'm sorry for being such a bother. I didn't mean to waste your time. You too, Shokuhou, and Komoe…I'm sorry I worried you both, and dragged you all the way out here."
"Hey, it's fine, Shirai. You're not bothering anyone," Komoe interjected, reaching over to gently pat her arm. "And you're not wasting anyone's time either. We're all here to help and support you. There's no place I'd rather be right now."
Shokuhou voiced her own comment on that, complimenting Komoe's words. Still, their comfort did not help Kuroko as much as she might have liked. A frown continued to mar her features, while an awful pit of self-pity and remorse continued to eat away at her from the inside.
"I was doing better, too. Or I thought I was. I don't understand how…it just happened so fast," she said with a slight tremor to her voice.
"It's not that simple, Shirai. There's a difference between thinking that you're doing better, and how you're actually doing. Besides, you've still got a long journey ahead of you right now, and there will be times that you're doing better…but there will also be times where you will have bad days like today. But the point is, a rough patch like this isn't the end of your progress. It's just a stumbling block, one that I know you'll be able to get over," Komoe declared.
Kuroko was unable to wipe away the grimace that clung to her features, a sense of bitterness still lingering inside of her. It certainly wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it had an air of truth to it all the same.
If anything, it reminded her of the struggles she had had with her weight in her previous life. Losing weight had been a long and arduous process for him in that other life; even the weight loss surgery he'd undergone hadn't been the end of that journey, but merely another step forward in his long voyage. Losing weight, and keeping it off, had been something he'd fought with every day, just about, even up until his death. Good days and bad days had existed in the struggles of her last life, through the issues he'd had to combat in that other world, and that same dynamic would play out in this world too. Furthermore, committing to the idea that he did not have to be obese for the rest of his life, that he truly could change his body for the better, had perhaps been the most pivotal part of that whole process. The lifestyle changes that had followed were also important, yes, but actually committing to change in the first place…that had been an important step forward for him.
The situations weren't entirely comparable, but there were still similarities there. If anything, the similarities brought her some sense of comfort. If she could change herself for the better once, then she could do it again.
"I suppose you're right," Kuroko acknowledged, granting Komoe a small smile. "Then…I'll make sure to do my best to overcome this. I won't let this single bad day define me."
"That's the spirit," Komoe encouraged, smiling back at her.
From there, Kuroko conversed with Komoe and Heaven Canceller for a little longer, mostly to go over the potential side effects of the drug they wanted her to try first. After that, they excused themselves from the room, leaving her alone with Shokuhou.
"I'm sorry," she couldn't help but apologize. "I didn't mean to get you so worked up. I know I must have ruined whatever plans you had for the day."
"Hey, you're my friend, Shirai, and nothing is going to change that. That means I'm here for you whenever you need me," Misaki rebutted. She reached over, gently slipping her fingers between her own as she squeezed her hand. "So don't you worry about it."
Then, in a move that took her completely by surprise, Misaki leaned over and pressed her lips gently against her cheek.
Misaki pulled back fairly quickly, but all the same Kuroko could feel her cheek tingle from where it'd been kissed. An electric shock ran down her spine, while her face immediately broke out into a heated blush. Kuroko stared at Misaki with wide eyed surprise, rendered speechless for a good few moments.
"Wh-wh-what was that for?!" Kuroko stammered, cupping a hand to her cheek.
"What, I'm only following your example ability! Don't you kiss your friends on the cheek? Isn't that your thing now? Or at least, that's how you tried to play it off back at the meeting," Misaki said in a teasing, mirthful tone. A smug, slender smile spread across her lips as her starry eyes stared right back at Kuroko. "Or did you kiss me for some other reason, I wonder?"
Kuroko let out a loud groan and covered up her face with both hands. She twisted away from Misaki, facing the wall as she cringed. "Ugh, why did you have to bring that up?! As if I haven't embarrassed myself enough today, I don't need to be reminded of that!"
Shokuhou snickered into her palm in response. "I'll have you know that I was mortified too! I was dying from secondhand embarrassment back there! Oh, and the things Kobayashi had to say about it!"
Kuroko let out a frustrated growl, and quickly snatched up the pillow she'd been reclining against. Then, with lightning fast reflexes, she started beating it against Shokuhou's head. "Shut up shut up shut up!"
Misaki outright cackled as she defended herself from Kuroko's retaliation. It also didn't stop her from continuing to needle her about that subject, as well as others topics that left Kuroko flustered in continued embarrassment.
Still, it helped them to pass the time; and more importantly, it helped Kuroko to forget the troubles that plagued her, if just for a little while.
The rest of the afternoon passed by soon enough, with Shokuhou only leaving when visiting hours were closed. From there, Kuroko was left to her own devices, and left with little else to do but scroll through her phone the rest of the night. The highlight of her evening ended up being a phone call with Uiharu, after she texted her friend about her current status. Uiharu was gracious enough to chat her up for the rest of the night, up until it was time for both of them to get to bed.
From there, sleep did not come easily to her, much to her own chagrin. But, eventually, Kuroko was able to find some rest in her hospital bed.
The next morning proved to be rather dull and mind numbing. By that point she was already trying out the new medicine that Heaven Canceller had prescribed for her, so it was just a matter of waiting to make sure her body didn't have any negative reactions to it. So once again she was forced to pass the time by herself, alternating between browsing through her phone and watching tv in the recreation room on her floor of the hospital.
Still, it didn't pass the time nearly as fast as she would have liked. She made sure to mention as much to Heaven Canceller, when he came to check up on her.
"Hm, you were a writer in your former life, weren't you? In fact, I seem to recall you mentioning you did some writing here as well, before your memories resurfaced," he pointed out, looking up from his medical clipboard. "Perhaps doing some writing might help pass the time? In fact, having a general sort of creative outlet like that could help in relieving stress, so it might be beneficial for your health to pick that back up."
Kuroko looked off to the side at that, a conflicted series of expressions working its way across her face. He had a fair point, but actually going through with that idea…
It was something she and Kuroko Shirai had in common, but at the same time, she couldn't help but worry that that connection only existed because of the memories of her first life. An insidious influence from a set of memories that had been lingering beneath the surface of Kuroko Shirai's consciousness for all of her young life. Well, okay, maybe it wasn't fair to think of it in those terms. Still, she still felt uncertain about returning to that pastime, like she'd be trampling on the memory of the girl she had been by picking up her old hobby…
Nonetheless, if she was going to be here another few days, she'd need all the help she could get in passing the time. And a part of her had missed doing that, too.
So when Mikoto texted her that she was coming by to visit, Kuroko asked her to bring over one of her writing journals with her.
It felt like an eternity, as she waited for Mikoto to show up after classes let out. But, her patience was rewarded in the end. Close to four in the afternoon Mikoto Misaka walked into her hospital room, carrying a plastic bag in each hand as she strode inside.
"Here you go! I wasn't sure which of your journals to grab, so I just picked one at random," Mikoto said, handing over a spiral notebook. "I also got some sweets from that bakery you like! I thought you could use a little snack too."
"Thanks!" Kuroko happily replied, taking the other bag from her. She peered inside it, the sweet aroma of cookies wafting up into her nose. "Ah, these smell heavenly. Definitely what I need after having hospital food the last day."
Mikoto smiled in response, and moved to sit down at the chair on her left. Kuroko opened up her box of cookies and eagerly munched on a few, offering some to Mikoto as well as they started to chat. They weren't alone for too long, however, before the door to her room opened up again.
Much to her surprise, both Uiharu and Konori walked right in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you already had a guest," Konori said as she closed the door behind them. She nodded politely at Mikoto, before glancing back at her. "Well, would you mind the extra company Shirai?"
Kuroko stared at them both for a few moments longer, still somewhat flummoxed by their sudden arrival. Thus it took her a moment to give a response. "Oh, um, I don't mind! Not if you don't, Mikoto."
"Hey, any friend of Kuroko's is a friend of mine! It's nice to meet you both," Mikoto greeted, smiling graciously at them. "I'm Mikoto Misaka, by the way, Kuroko's roommate and friend."
Konori and Uiharu murmured their own amiable greetings. Feeling the need to make proper introductions herself, Kuroko said, "Ah, Mikoto, these are my colleagues from Judgment, Mii Konori and Kazari Uiharu. Konori is the Chief at our Judgment branch, while Uiharu is my partner and best friend."
"Mikoto Misaka…oh, are you that Misaka? The famous Railgun?" Konori inquired, her eyes lighting up with recognition.
"Oh, that's right! Shirai said she had switched roommates recently! Wow, so you're the Railgun of Tokiwadai!" Uiharu enthused beside her, gazing at Mikoto with a starstruck look. "I've always wanted to meet a real proper Ojou-sama from Tokiwadai!"
"Oi, and what am I?" Kuroko groused and rolled her eyes.
"Well Shirai, you aren't exactly the princess type yourself," Konori commented, giving her a teasing smile.
Meanwhile, the starstruck look on Uiharu's face abruptly vanished. Suddenly Uiharu started staring at Mikoto with narrowed eyes, her lips pursed into a small frown as she regarded the other girl anew.
"Wait, you're the Railgun. The same girl that Shirai's gotten so…close with recently. The same one she…" Uiharu trailed off, glancing back at her before focusing back on Mikoto. "The same one she became roommates with recently. You're that Mikoto Misaka."
"...Yes?" Mikoto agreed, looking a little uncertain. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing!" Uiharu was quick to say, shaking her head. "Sorry, I just got a little sidetracked."
That awkward interaction aside, Uiharu and Mikoto seemed to get along fairly well, as they all fell into an easy rhythm of chatter and small talk. Uiharu talked about how long they'd known each other, Mikoto talked about the scene at Tokiwadai, Konori went over some stories from their Judgment work. All in all, it was a fairly pleasant time, and Kuroko found herself having fun.
About halfway into the conversation though, she started to feel a little thirsty. When she mentioned as much, Mikoto jumped up from her seat with a smile.
"I can go get us some drinks! I think I saw a vending machine on the floor below," she said.
Uiharu got up a second later with an eager look in her eyes. "I'll go with you! I know what Shirai likes best, after all."
With that said, the two of them departed shortly thereafter, leaving Kuroko alone with Konori. A moment of silence passed between them, Kuroko idly wondering what to say to help pass the time. However, Konori beat her to the punch by speaking up first.
"You know, there is something I've been wanting to talk with you about," Konori declared, adopting a more serious posture as she stared over at her. "Now might not be the best place necessarily, but it was something I wanted to talk about outside of the office anyway."
"Oh?" Kuroko questioned, trying to project a calm demeanor. At the same time though, her heart skipped a beat, and a flutter of nervousness washed through her.
"You've been trying to hide it, but I can tell you've been acting differently Shirai," Konori said, giving her a meaningful look. "I've known you long enough now that I can tell when you're hiding something from me."
Kuroko's eyes widened in alarm, and a dark, anxious feeling started to swell up inside of her. She quickly replied, nervously saying, "Ah, I-I don't know what you mean, Konori."
Ugh, why hadn't she seen something like this coming?! Of course Konori would notice she was acting differently! They'd known each other ever since she started her Judgment training; heck, they'd known each other longer than Kuroko had been friends with Uiharu. They might not have as close of a relationship as she had with her partner, but still, Konori would obviously be able to tell something was up with her!
"Now Shirai, you don't have to lie to me," Konori chided, a stern expression on her face. "Trust me, I can see right through you. Ever since you came back from the hospital that first time, something's been different about you. At first, I couldn't put my finger on it, but it became increasingly clear to me over time."
"I-Is that so?" she questioned, looking off to the side.
She could hardly stand to look at Konori now. Oh God, just what was she going to say here? How was she going to explain herself? Would she need to read Konori in on the truth as well?
"Yes, it is. Now, I'm not judging you or anything, Shirai. Far from it. I was your age not too long ago, so I know just how all-consuming and overwhelming young love can be," Konori replied.
Wait, what?
"I know you and Uiharu think you've been clever enough to hide it from me. But I am far more perceptive than you might think," Konori chastised, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Kuroko turned her eyes back to Konori, staring at her blankly as she struggled, and failed, to muster up a response. She had an idea of what Konori was alluding to, but her mind refused to believe it. There was no way Konori was actually implying that, right?
"If anything, I'm happy for you two. But I am still your Section Chief, and you two are still members of Judgment under my authority. As members of Judgment, there are strict guidelines and rules you two will need to follow to ensure your relationship remains above board," she went on, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, I know this is far from the kind of talk you want to receive from me, both as your friend and your superior. Nevertheless, we do need to go over these regulations."
"Oh my god," Kuroko stated in disbelief, her wide eyed stare returning. "You cannot be serious."
"Come on now, there's no need to be embarrassed," Konori gently retorted, giving her an earnest smile.
"I–I'm not–you…you've got the wrong idea! Uiharu and I are not dating!" Kuroko declared heatedly, her entire face breaking out into a crimson blush.
"Shirai, you can't fool me any longer," Konori chided. "I've seen the way Uiharu looks at you when she thinks I'm not watching. I've seen you two being more touchy-feely and intimate with one another. And the things I've overheard…honestly, you two are not nearly as quiet as you think you are. By the way, you really shouldn't try to wind up Uiharu so much. It might just be an innocent sleepover with a new friend of yours, but still, Uiharu has a right to get a little jealous about it."
"Konoriiiii!" Kuroko whined, letting out an explosive groan. "Th-this is all just a big misunderstanding! You're reading way too much into this! Uiharu and I might be a bit closer with each other now, b-but that doesn't mean we're dating!"
"Shirai, I know you stayed the night with Uiharu a few weeks back, going against your dormitory's curfew. I heard all about it from your Dorm Supervisor, as you'll recall. After that night, your behavior around Uiharu completely changed, and vice versa. Don't deny it, I saw it all for myself," Konori insisted. "Clearly, that's when it all started. It must have been, given how much Uiharu was looking at you the next day. Of course, I won't pry about what happened between you two that night...well, mostly. The regulations do need to know the starting date of your relationship, so..."
"Oh my god stop!" Kuroko begged, covering up her face in absolute embarrassment.
Before Konori could respond, the door to the hospital room opened back up. Uiharu and Mikoto trudged in thereafter, the two of them carrying a set of drinks between them.
Kuroko teleported in a flash, startling Uiharu as she appeared right in front of her. With a desperate, pleading look in her eyes, she grabbed Uiharu by the shoulders and said,
"Uiharu, for the love of god, tell Konori we aren't dating!"
"What?!" Uiharu shrieked, a heated blush rapidly breaking out across her cheeks.
Mikoto, meanwhile, stared back and forth between the two of them with a dumbstruck expression. Her mouth opened and closed in quick succession, before she finally managed to speak in a surprisingly meek tone. "Um, should I be here for this?"
"Oh dear…maybe I did misjudge things?" Konori wondered to herself, an apologetic undertone in her voice.
Thankfully, they were able to clear up the misunderstanding from there. Konori gave them both a genuine apology, though she seemed to give Uiharu a peculiar look all the same. Regardless, Kuroko was mollified enough to let go of any lingering irritation toward her branch Chief.
Uiharu was another matter, however. Kuroko caught sight of her shooting Konori dirty looks every now and again, and muttering something under her breath. The poor girl must have been absolutely mortified.
The conversation from there was, understandably, a little awkward and stilted. But Mikoto was able to divert to a more pleasant topic, and things progressed from there. All too soon Uiharu and Konori said their goodbyes, leaving her alone with Mikoto.
"I hope Konori didn't leave a bad impression or anything. Usually she's a much more sensible person," Kuroko sighed, shaking her head. "Good grief, I still don't understand how she so badly misread the situation."
"Ah, it's fine. It was nice meeting them, Uiharu especially. She had a lot to say about you while we were getting drinks," Mikoto mused, a small smile gracing her lips. "She must be a very good friend if she knows you so well."
"Oh, she is. Uiharu and I have been practically attached at the hip since we became official Judgment members," Kuroko fondly recalled. "Her athletic skills might be lacking, but in everything else, she's a master! Especially when it comes to electronics. This will sound terribly arrogant, I imagine, but Uiharu is easily one of the best computer specialists in all of Academy City. If not the best."
Mikoto made a thoughtful noise at that, looking off to the side for a moment. She remained silent for a good minute afterward, clearly wrestling with something internally.
Kuroko glanced at her curiously, able to sense something was off. She was about to say as much, but Mikoto beat her to it by talking before her.
"Kuroko…if it's not too personal a question, can I ask why you're here? You didn't say much over the phone last night, just that it had to deal with your condition. What…condition is that, exactly?" she asked, staring at her with a serious expression.
Kuroko gave an instinctual grimace at the question. She stared down at her lap, wondering what she could even say here. There were a lot of different answers she could give Mikoto right now, some more truthful than others. It was just a matter of figuring out what, if anything, she wanted to share.
She could always lie: say that her ailment was any number of conditions, and Mikoto would likely believe her in a heartbeat. However, the mere thought of lying to her made her absolutely sick to her stomach. So, Kuroko discarded that plan.
Alternatively, she knew that she could deflect Mikoto's question, and say that it was a delicate matter she didn't want to discuss. Mikoto would probably respect her unspoken request for privacy, if she went down that route. But the mere idea of putting Mikoto off like that…it didn't sit well with her either. She wanted to be nothing but open and honest with Mikoto, and that route was the opposite of that desire.
She knew so much about Mikoto Misaka's life, and knew things about her that even Mikoto herself was ignorant of. And then, of course, there were the many secrets she was keeping from her roommate, almost all of them to do with her own meta knowledge. She was hiding so much from Mikoto, that adding more to that ever increasing pile filled her with a sense of dread.
Perhaps she should be honest, at least to a degree. Mikoto deserved to know this much, at least. Especially if she ever had another…episode in the future.
"I…" Kuroko paused, struggling to find the words. "I'm not…in the best headspace right now, Mikoto. Something happened to me, just after I came to Tokiwadai, and it's been hard for me ever since. I've been seeking help for it, and Shokuhou has been able to help me manage things. But some days are better than others, and yesterday ended up being a bad day for me."
Mikoto gave a slow nod, deep concern lining her features. She paused for a moment, frowning slightly before she pushed again with her next question. "Kuroko…did someone hurt you?"
"No, but I wanted to hurt myself."
The words leapt out of Kuroko's mouth before she could stop them. A sense of shame, tinged with discomfort, assailed her immediately afterward. She looked away from Mikoto, a small grimace flashing over her lips afterward.
It was the first time she'd verbalized the truth of what she wanted to do. Or rather, what part of her wanted to do. Idle thoughts and potential plans had been lurking beneath the surface of her conscious mind, with those thoughts finally made manifest the other day. Still, this was the first time she'd actually said something like that aloud.
And to Mikoto Misaka, no less. Well, wasn't that awkward.
A long, terrible silence filled the air between them. Kuroko kept her gaze fixed to the wall, not wanting to see the look on her roommate's face.
"Sorry, maybe that was a little too honest," she said, breaking the silence. She gave a bitter smile, and in a pained tone added, "You can just forget you heard that, if you want."
"You idiot! Do you think I'd just do that?!"
Mikoto's harsh reprimand came swiftly, startling Kuroko. She was no less startled by the sudden, fierce hug that Mikoto wrapped her in, her roommate cradling her head. Kuroko blinked rapidly, a sudden wave of sorrow crashing into her body. That sudden swell of sadness was not helped by Mikoto's next words.
"…I won't pretend to know what you're going through right now. But if you need someone to lean on, I'm here. I'll do anything for my friends! So if you have any more of these bad days, I'll be right at your side to help you however I can. Got it?"
Kuroko sniffled, tears springing to her eyes as she hugged Mikoto back. She buried her face against the crook of Mikoto's neck, letting out a muffled sob as tears started streaming down her cheeks.
"Y-You're a really good friend Mikoto," Kuroko sobbed, her voice distorted and heavy with emotion. "A better f-friend than I deserve!"
Mikoto hugged her tighter and murmured a soothing response to her. Kuroko, meanwhile, continued to sob against her, riding out the flow of her overpowering emotions. But in the back of her head, Kuroko came to a discomforting realization.
She couldn't lie to Mikoto. Not after this, not after she made a declaration like that. She would have to tell Mikoto the truth: she would have to tell her about the Sisters.
After that intimate moment with Mikoto passed, the two of them talked for a while longer after that. Making sure to employ some cautious wording, Kuroko opened up about some of the struggles she'd been dealing with. Mikoto listened to her carefully and without judgment, and ultimately reiterated her promise by the time she was finished.
Not long after that, Mikoto had to leave, but promised she'd be back first thing tomorrow. The following night passed by in a blur, and before Kuroko knew it, a new day had dawned.
Much like yesterday, Kuroko had to find a way to pass the time as she waited for classes to end, and for her friends to come visit her. Browsing her phone became boring rather quickly, and her attempts at writing proved less fruitful than she liked. So, Kuroko begrudgingly left the confines of her hospital room to go visit the recreation room once more.
The room itself was rather simple and sparsely furnished: there was a ping-pong table on the left side of the room, a small bookshelf containing a variety of books and dvds on the right, and a modest flat-screen tv mounted in the back of the room. Chairs, couches, and other furniture were situated in the room as well, most of them arranged to face toward the tv.
The room hadn't changed at all since she'd been here yesterday. However, there was something different now: this time, she wasn't alone.
Four other girls were in the room as she walked in, all of them crowded together on a couch facing the tv. Furthermore, they were in the midst of a conversation as she came inside.
"—I'm telling you, the rumors are true! My sources on this are very reliable!"
"Naru, a Level Five gossip forum isn't a reliable source for any kind of news."
"No, no, it is! Come on Seike, be a little open-minded! Besides, I've seen that information spread elsewhere online!"
"Please tell me it wasn't one of those urban legend websites. Those things are notoriously unreliable."
"..."
"Really, Naru? Really? How many times have I—!"
Their voices cut off, however, as they noticed Kuroko's presence. As a group they all turned to glance at her, giving Kuroko a glimpse at their faces.
They all looked…vaguely, achingly familiar. Sitting at one end of the couch was an a girl with raven black hair and purple eyes; next to her was a younger girl with green eyes and brown hair tied up in a bun; beside her was the youngest of them, a girl with red hair and a medical mask over the lower half of her face; and rounding out the end of the couch was an older looking girl with pink shoulder length hair, and a tattoo of a skull under her left eye. And much like Kuroko, all four of them were dressed up in hospital gowns.
As she walked in, she also noticed that the black haired girl was idly tossing a rubber ball up into the air, though that stopped as soon as she came inside. Beside that, though, the group's attention was largely on the conversation they'd just been having.
Kuroko narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing back and forth between the quartet. She knew them somehow, something in her gut screamed that at her, but as for who they actually were…she just couldn't remember. Not right now, at least.
Well, whatever. It probably wasn't important.
"Hello," she said after a few seconds, nodding politely at the group. "I was just wanting to use the room as well. Please don't mind me."
With that said, she walked over to the bookshelf and chose a book at random. Then she strode to the nearest chair and claimed it for herself, dangling her legs over the armrest as she made herself comfortable.
She could feel the eyes of the group on her for a good while longer afterward, but they came to accept her presence soon enough. Their focus shifted back over to the blaring tv, though that only held their attention for so long. Soon the four-girl band started to talk amongst themselves once more.
"Look, just because my source of information isn't seemingly reliable, doesn't mean—!"
"Oh my god Naru, just drop it," the black-haired girl groaned, shaking her head in disbelief. She squeezed the rubber ball in her hand, looking sorely tempted to belt it at the older girl. "Honestly, there's so much rumor and speculation out there about the Sixth Ranked, there's no telling what's true and what isn't. So there's no point talking about it."
"Come on! Doesn't it make sense to you guys? I mean, there must be a reason there's no information about them out there! No face, only the whispers of a name, no clue or hint as to what their ability even is! This explanation would make total sense!" the aforementioned Naru protested, glaring at her companion crossly.
"I think it's far more likely they just don't exist," the brown-haired girl countered. "Maybe it's an alias for a whole group of Espers, or something like that. Either way, there isn't an actual Sixth Ranked, just an alias that gets dusted off when it's needed."
"No, no, no! Come on, that's far too boring!" Naru denied, shaking her head vehemently. "Besides, why would the Governing Board just let there be a fake Level Five running around out there? There's no way they'd tolerate that! No, they do exist! And the fact that they're a Teleporter explains everything about them!"
Kuroko's ears perked up at that, and despite her better judgment, she couldn't help but glance over at the girls.
"You're talking about the Sixth Ranked Level Five Esper, right?" she spoke up.
Four sets of eyes glanced over at Kuroko in response to her question. She could feel some mistrust and apprehension from three of those four girls, but in contrast to the others, Naru seemed to welcome her query with aplomb.
"Yup!" she confirmed with a bright nod. "We are! Though these close-minded idiots refuse to take my theory seriously!"
"It's your theory now, is it?" the black-haired girl scoffed, tossing her ball again.
Kuroko hummed thoughtfully, thinking back on what she knew of the mysterious Sixth Ranked, which…wasn't a lot, honestly. She knew they went by the name of Etsu Aihana, but that was almost certainly an alias, and not their real name. And that was really the extent of her knowledge. For whatever reason, the Sixth Ranked had never featured prominently in the light novels, appearing more as a ghost than anything else. She was aware several people went by that alias, but none of them were the actual, real Sixth Ranked, just people using the identity for their own purposes. As far as she knew, no one in the light novels or extended media had ever actually met the real Sixth Ranked, outside of one specific incident where Touma came across them, though not long enough to discern their true identity.
She also knew that there was a popular fan theory that Pierce Aogami, one of Touma Kamijou's friends, was secretly the Sixth Ranked. However, she was less familiar with the specifics of why people believed that, or what evidence there was in support of that theory. So, honestly, it didn't change her perspective on the matter all that much.
In short: she knew of Etsu Aihana, the Sixth Ranked Level Five Esper, and that was about it. She was just as in the dark about their true identity as Naru and her friends…and quite frankly, she was fine with that. It wasn't as if the Sixth Ranked actually interacted in the main story in any significant way, so it was a mystery she could afford to ignore.
"And what exactly is your theory?" Kuroko questioned, turning her attention back to Naru. "Color me curious."
Her friends sighed at that, but Naru herself smiled brightly at her prompt. Without a moment's delay, she launched into her dissertation.
"So! I believe that the Sixth Ranked has a teleportation ability. And why do I believe that, you might ask? Well! It would explain everything about them! The reason why there's no picture of them floating around is because they teleport everywhere they go! They avoid any security cameras, any eyewitnesses, and other means of surveillance through the use of their ability! I also bet they use that ability to keep their interactions with other people to a minimum! Like, they pop into a room, leave a letter, and pop right back out before anyone can see 'em! That way they can still communicate with other people, but still keep out of the spotlight too!"
"And how would you explain the lack of documentation on them from before they developed their ability to be that strong?" Kuroko questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, obviously, they hired some hacker or somethin' to erase all of that data! Probably used them to wipe out just about every digital record that could be found; and anything physical, the Sixth Ranked probably just popped in to steal or destroy for themselves," Naru explained.
"Well, that at least sounds reasonable. The hacker thing, I mean. It would explain why there's nothing out there about the Sixth Ranked," the red haired girl pipped in. "Still, that doesn't prove they're a teleporter. And for all we know, maybe the Governing Board themselves erased all that information. Maybe there's a reason the Sixth Ranked has to have their identity obscured."
"Ah, but if the Governing Board needed that, then why elevate them as the Sixth Ranked at all? Like, if they needed a super secret Level Five assassin or something, why give them official recognition as a Level Five esper? That draws all sorts of attention to them, which kinda defeats the purpose of having a secret Level Five Esper. No, it has to be the Sixth Ranked themselves that took that action!" Naru countered with a smug, triumphant grin.
"Ugh, give it a rest already! I'm getting real tired of hearing about this," the black haired girl griped, finally tossing her ball at Naru.
Naru ducked out of the way quite easily, with surprisingly fast reflexes. Unfortunately, that meant the ball was now on a direct path to Kuroko herself.
She could hear a warning just starting to get uttered by Naru, but Kuroko teleported out of the way in the second it took her to register the ball's new course. She appeared upright next to her chair, letting the rubber ball bounce harmlessly against the seat.
A strange silence descended upon the room, and Kuroko glanced back over at the group. The other three girls were staring at her with renewed interest, while Naru herself was opening and closing her mouth in rapid succession.
"So, you're a teleporter?" the black haired girl questioned, a look of interest evident on her face. "Didn't think there were too many of your kind in Academy City."
"There's not," Kurok easily agreed. "Last I checked there were a little over forty teleporters across Academy City, with only a small handful powerful enough to teleport themselves. Well, as far as I know, at least. It's always possible a teleporter could have been wiped from all official records, or otherwise obscured the true scope of their ability."
"H-Huh, what are the odds?" Naru interjected, giving a nervous little laugh. "A-And to think I was just talking about the Sixth Ranked being a teleporter! That, ah, must have sounded really silly to you."
"Oh, not at all. The theory itself leaves a little to be desired, but it does feel a bit plausible. A Level Five Teleporter certainly would, in theory, be capable of flashing all over the city whilst being able to avoid most, if not all, means of surveillance. Perhaps they would even be capable of auto-teleportation; that is, the reflexive ability to teleport anytime someone tries to interact with them, or approach them. Of course, this is all just idle speculation," Kuroko freely admitted. "But such an ability would be one way for the Sixth Ranked to keep their presence obscured by almost everyone trying to seek them out."
"See! See!" Naru exclaimed and gesticulated wildly to her comrades.
However, Kuroko was far from done. "Still, I think there's a much simpler explanation in mind for the lack of physical evidence to the Sixth Ranked's identity."
"Hm?" the brown-haired girl gave her a curious look. "And what's that?"
"Well, I think it's far more likely they're living under an assumed identity now. If they had been able to erase all prior traces of themselves, I see no reason why they couldn't also forge a new identity at the same time. So they deleted all traces of their old life, and have since set themselves up with a new persona. If they're a teleporter, well, perhaps they've entered in the records for a Level Four teleporter. That way they can still actively use their ability, but they'd still be able to hide the full extent of their powers, and thus stay away from any prying eyes searching for the Sixth Ranked," she explained. "Certainly, it's what I would do if I were them."
Indeed, if Aogami was in fact the Sixth Ranked, it seemed fairly plausible that that was what he had done in order to cover up his tracks. The same applied if the Sixth Ranked was a canonical character other than him, although Kuroko honestly wasn't sure who else it could be, if it had to be a pre-existing character.
Again, it wasn't like it really mattered. Whoever Etsu Aihana really was, clearly they wished to live a life undisturbed by the greater chaos of Academy City.
"Oh?" Naru questioned, giving her another odd look again. "Um, say! What Level are you again?"
"Hm? Oh, Level Four," Kuroko offhandedly replied, giving a dismissive wave.
Naru flashed her an uneasy smile in response, and quickly leaned back over to her friends to whisper hurriedly to them. Whatever she had to say, though, didn't concern Kuroko too much, so she made no effort to eavesdrop. Indeed, she found herself distracted as her phone started buzzing for her attention.
Kuroko fished it out of her pocket, and raised an eyebrow as she saw Misaki Shokuhou's name flash over the caller id. She shrugged to herself, and answered the call a moment later.
"You little troll!" Misaki immediately shouted at her, venom dripping from her tone. "What the hell did you do?!"
Kuroko blinked rapidly, briefly at a loss as to what had gotten Misaki so worked up. She searched her memory, trying to discern just what the problem was—
Oh. Oh! Oh…
A devilish grin spread across Kuroko lips, and she couldn't help but give a sinister laugh. "Ah, I see you found my present for you. Tell me, how do you like it?"
"My hair is NEON GREEN!" Shokuhou screeched, her fury carried over the phone quite well. "I am going to KILL you for this, Shirai! This is going to take WEEKS to fix! You had BETTER pay up for the hair-dresser visits I'm going to rack up because of this!"
Kuroko snickered some more, fondly recalling the trap she'd set up. A week back, she'd been inspired to sneak inside of Shokuhou's second apartment and replace her shampoo there with green hair dye. So the next time Shokuhou took a shower there…
Well, that time bomb had finally paid off for her. It was just a pity she couldn't see it in person.
"Well, it's not my fault you've been so grievously wounded, dear Shokuhou. You should have learned your lesson not to double-cross me, you know. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation," she declared in a lofty, smug tone.
"Oh, don't you put this all on me! I was willing to let bygones be bygones after that incident with the jockstrap. But NOW, now this is WAR, Kuroko Shirai! I will not REST until I've gotten my revenge!" Shokuhou seethed.
Kuroko could practically feel her shaking with rage on the other end of the line. She gave another wicked laugh, and said, "I'd like to see you try! But we both know who's going to win this little game. Wars have been fought for less stakes, and this is not a war I intend to lose. Rest assured, whatever feeble attempts to get back at me, I will see coming a mile away. And I shall continue to humiliate you in turn, until you finally learn your place, like the pathetic maggot you are!"
Was that over the top? Almost certainly. But even in her other life, she had been fond of imagining herself as a future supervillain, or a budding world conqueror: a figure prone to make dramatic, grandiose evil speeches and the like. A lot of those fantasies were beyond childish of course, and had some cringe-worthy memories attached to them now. But it felt only right to feed into that renewed impulse to be a bit silly, and a bit dramatic, if only with Shokuhou.
"...You're having far too much fun with this," Shokuhou noted, a mixture of anger and amusement clear in her tone. "Well, I'll make sure to have some fun with this too! You REALLY shouldn't pick a fight with a mind controller, Shirai! You have no idea what I'm capable of!"
"Perhaps, perhaps. But still, the round is mine, isn't it? Retaliate if you like, but know that in the end, the war shall be mine to win. You might have great powers yourself, but I have the ambition, the drive, to go to extremes you cannot even imagine! So when your life is naught but ashes, when your friends and comrades have abandoned you, when all scorn you and wince at the mere sight of you…then, Misaki Shokuhou, you will have my permission to die."
Kuroko gave an outright cackle at that, her wicked smile widening as she reveled in the absolute disgrace of her foe.
Shokuhou, meanwhile, was silent for a long moment on her end. So long, in fact, that Kuroko wondered if she had hung up. Then:
"Hey, remember that time you kissed me on the che—!"
Kuroko immediately hung up the phone, and stowed it back in her pocket. She gave a small sigh, and turned her attention back to the girls on the couch. She blinked rapidly, not quite expecting the sight that met her eyes.
All four of them were huddled up at the end of the couch, piled on top of each other as they all stared at her with wide eyes.
"Something wrong?" Kuroko questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"N-No, nothing! Nothing!" Naru squeaked out, shaking her head.
The red-haired girl, meanwhile, spoke up in a somewhat shaky voice of her own. "Ah, b-by chance, was the Misaki Shokuhou you were speaking with…that one? You know, Mental Out?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, it was her," Kuroko confirmed with an idle nod. "We happen to be…let's say allies of convenience. Most times. But sometimes, Shokuhou forgets which of us is the truly powerful one here, and tries to trip me up with these little pranks of hers. So because of that, I just had to remind her of who is really in charge."
"S-So, you're…allies with a Level Five, huh," the black haired girl noted in a strained tone. "Well, isn't that interesting. Say, ah, what did you do to her? It sounded a little…intense."
"Oh, nothing much. Just a little bomb I left for her, that she finally triggered when she least expected it," Kuroko declared, a satisfied gleam shining in her eyes. "She'll live. But she'll wish she hadn't."
For some reason, that made the girls wince and cringe away from her, which only made Kuroko furrow her brow in response. What was going on with them?
Wait. A group of four girls, one of them named Naru…hadn't she also heard the name Seike bandied about?
In a flash, Kuroko remembered just who these girls were. Well, three girls and one guy, if her memories of the group held.
They were apart of Scavenger: an infamous four man team of Espers, one of the many nefarious Darkside organizations that operated in the underbelly of Academy City. From what she recalled, they were a rather ruthless bunch, with a specific fixation against adults in the city. Which, to be fair, was kind of understandable given how shitty most of the authority figures in Academy City were. She couldn't recall their exact levels, but she was fairly certain they were all Level 3 or 4, maybe even a mixture, with a wide array of abilities that made for a pretty lethal combination.
A pity for them that their two main engagements in the wider Canon had ended in a brutal curbstomp by first Accelerator, and then Mikoto Misaka. Up against god-tier Espers like that, they may as well have been Level Zeroes.
So…if the pink-haired girl was Naruha Sakuragi, that made black hair Taroumaru Seike, red hair Leader or Rita Iizumi, and brown hair Itsuki Yakumaru. Four deadly Espers all by themselves, and certainly they'd give Kuroko herself a run for her money if they ever got into a scrap. Still, her ability would be useful in keeping distant from them, if it ever proved necessary. Really, the one she was most worried about was Leader herself, given how she could use her ability to track people.
"Seike…" Kuroko muttered to herself, fixing her eyes on the black haired girl. Or rather, boy?
Convincing as he was in a girl's sailor uniform, her knowledge of the source material made her aware that Seike was in fact a biological boy. What that meant for his or her gender identity though, Kuroko was less certain. That could be interpreted a few different ways…though for now, Kuroko would just think of him as a boy, unless she became aware of information that contradicted that.
"Huh? Y-You know my name?" Seike yelped in response, clearly nervous at her callout.
Kuroko blinked again, still not quite sure why Scavenger was acting the way they were. Nevertheless, she was quick to respond with the first excuse that came to mind. And it wasn't even a lie. "Ah, I heard the name mentioned earlier. That's you, right? Taroumaru Seike?"
He gave a hurried nod in response, as if to appease her. Kuroko shrugged and let her attention drift back over to Naru.
"So, what brings you all to the hospital? If you don't mind my asking," she asked curiously.
"Oh! Um, well, j-just a check up, really, our liaison likes to have 'em done every now and again. You know, make sure nothing's gone wrong with the fl—!" Naru started to babble, but her mouth was quickly covered up by Leader, while Seike pulled her back to restrain her.
"Ah, what my friend means is, just a medical checkup. Nothing unusual!" Yakumaru insisted, giving her a bright, albeit manic, smile.
"So I see," Kuroko hummed thoughtfully to herself.
She gave another passing glance toward Seike, which made him flinch for some odd reason. Then, Kuroko walked forward to approach the group. They all tensed as she came close, their bodies not relaxing even as she gave a small, formal bow.
"I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Kuroko Shirai, a Level Four Esper from Tokiwadai. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Kuroko said, giving them a polite smile.
"Ah, r-right, a pleasure," Leader nervously echoed. She introduced herself and the other members of Scavenger a moment afterward, as Kuroko stared expectantly at her.
"Well, I think I'm about ready to head back to my room. I hope we get to meet again sometime, under more ideal circumstances. I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know you all better," Kuroko declared, giving them all a friendly smile.
Naru let out a small squeak at that, but her mouth was again covered up by Leader.
Kuroko paid their odd behavior no mind, and moved to leave the room. She glanced back one more time at the group, her eyes lingering over Seike, before she left to go back to her room.
Weirdness aside, she had to admit, meeting Scavenger had been rather interesting. Certainly, they were one of her favorite Darkside groups…and perhaps a group she could save from the clutches of Academy City's underbelly, if she played her cards right. Though, that thought would have to wait for another day.
"...Seike's cuter in person than I would have thought," Kuroko idly mused to herself, before giving a forlorn shake of her head. "Honestly, it's not fair that a boy can look so much prettier than me…"
But, alas, those were the cards she had to work with. It wasn't like she cared about her looks, really, outside of making sure she was presentable to the wider public. But it still irked her for some odd reason she couldn't fully define.
Maybe if she ever ran into Scavenger again, she could arrange some alone time with Seike? She had a few questions for him that might prove…enlightening to her own situation, or so she thought.
The rest of the day passed by quickly enough, with Kuroko entertaining visits from Mikoto, Uiharu, and Yumiya all at once. Between the three of them, she was able to enjoy her afternoon fairly well, and was quite sorry to see them go once visiting hours ended. After that, she endured another restless night, though she received some very welcome news the next morning.
With the medication seeming to work well with her, Heaven Canceller was ready to discharge her. After hearing that, she was practically bouncing off the walls, and was all too eager to sign her discharge papers. By noon, she was finally able to leave the hospital; although this time, someone was at the main entrance to pick her up.
An older woman with long, dark blue hair tied up in a ponytail was waiting for her. Kuroko recognized her right away as she approached, and her suspicions were confirmed when the woman introduced herself.
"You must be Kuroko Shirai, right? Tsukuyomi sent me to pick you up. I'm a friend of hers, Aiho Yomikawa. It's a pleasure to meet you," Yomikawa said, smiling down brightly at her. "I'm going to be driving you back to your dorm. Tsukuyomi would've done it herself, but she was busy with work, so she asked me to do it instead."
Kuroko murmured her own polite greeting in return, her eyes lingering over Yomikawa's features. She'd been thinking about approaching Yomikawa for potential recruiting, but their meeting was happening far sooner than she had anticipated. Honestly, she'd been planning on approaching her after the whole mess with the Sisters was taken care of, when she could afford to shift her focus over to DA and Esther Rosenthal.
But, there was no time like the present, was there?
Kuroko mulled over her thoughts as Yomikawa guided her over to her car. Those thoughts crystallized into a plan, and she gave a decisive nod as the car pulled away from the hospital.
"Has Tsukuyomi told you much about me?" Kuroko questioned curiously.
"A little bit. From what she says, there's far more to you than meets the eye. In fact, Tsukuyomi was telling me that you're gathering a group of responsible adults together, to try and make a difference in this city," Yomikawa commented, glancing back at her through the rearview mirror. "I have to admit, I'm a little intrigued."
"Well, hopefully we can go over that in more detail sometime," Kuroko said. "Maybe now, if you have the time? I'm more or less excused from classes today, and I could use something to eat."
"Hmm…well, I've gotten a free pass from my own classes, so I'm not in a hurry to head back home. And I could really go for some lunch myself," Yomikawa replied, giving a small laugh. "Well, did you have someplace in mind, Miss Shirai?"
Kuroko did, in fact, and gave Yomikawa the directions to a nearby restaurant. Yomikawa changed directions to head over that way, and from there the two of them lapsed into pleasant small talk.
The last few days had been rough for her…but Kuroko felt hopeful that things would get better from here. And now that she was out of the hospital, she had plenty of business to catch up on.