Audio Upper

[ACSR: Uiharu Kazari]

Uiharu and Joule waited on together under a cover from the sun. Since the power cut the other day it had been very hot wherever you would go. It was likely unconnected but that didn't make the heat any easier to bear.

Saten had asked them both to meet her there, apparently she had found something interesting. Joule figured it was another unreleased song, Saten liked to show those of when she got one.

There were not a lot of people around, likely they were heading inside for fans or working air conditioning. Meanwhile they had to wait for Saten.

Joule felt something behind her and heard Saten "Plain pink huh?" Joule spun around realising that Saten had just pulled up her skirt to take a look.

Joule's face darkened with something that said 'You will pay for that', it quickly dropped away to a weird sort of humour when Saten continued "I made sure that no one else was close enough to see, you've not been revealed to anyone but me." Joule briefly wondered how long she spend thinking to twist her words into something that could sound like a reason it was okay.

Uiharu meanwhile was shocked that Saten hadn't flipped her skirt for a change and Joule suspected she was a little happy too. Uiharu spoke up anyway "Saten it is not nice on me or on anybody else!"

Saten laughed and waved her hand as if to dismiss that point.

A moment passed before Joule asked "What did you bring into this heat to show us?"

Saten was still chuckling as she pulled out her phone "It is so incredible," she began excitedly dancing around as she continued "I have finally found the elusive item we've all been looking for!"

Joule deadpanned "A way to get out of the heat?"

Saten came to a stop and held out her phone, it was on an audio app that Saten had shown Joule in the past. Whatever song was loaded didn't have an associated image meaning it was likely an incredibly early release of a song, not meant for public use.

"It just looks like an audio player?" Uiharu asked, as the thing which was so amazing hadn't been explained to her and joule yet.

Saten took a few steps away and turned back to speak "It is an audio player but it is what is on the audio player that is important, I'll show you later okay?"

As Saten walked away Uiharu spoke quietly "She never actually explained what it was that was so important."

Joule nodded "She could have just brought it up later in the first place."

The two of them caught up with Saten and the three began walking around and chatting about normal things. Uiharu and Joule had the mysterious song on the minds, wondering what it was that Saten had found.

Saten meanwhile saw a place to eat as it was approaching lunch time, as the group walked up to it they saw Misaka, Kuroko and a woman sitting in one of the booths.

After Saten made a show of herself for a few seconds they entered at sat with their friends.

Misaka and Kuroko explained that they were meeting with Professor Kiyama who was a neuroscience expert.

Uiharu summed it up best "You're a brain doctor then?", Saten quickly asked a joking question "Are you here to look at Shirai's brain?"

Kuroko spoke tiredly "We are here to discuss the level upper matter."

Something in what she just said seemed to excite Saten who began to pull out her phone while saying "Well if that's the case,"

To Joule it looked like Saten was going to say more but Misaka cut her off "This is pretty serious, anyone found in possession of it will be taken into custody."

Joule saw Saten return her phone to her pocket after that, and it clicked in her mind what Saten wanted to show earlier. Quickly she looked round to Misaka and asked "What about those who've found it and want to give it to judgement to examine?"

Misaka turned to Kuroko and Kuroko answered "While that would be good news for us, we would still have to arrest the person who brought it in to figure out how they got it. If they came that far they would likely cooperate with the investigation but there is still the matter of side effects if they had used it." She tilted her head "It's unlikely to happen anyway, drug users normally turn to crime rather than helping judgement, for obvious reasons."

Joule looked at a worried Saten and gave her a mental apology, not actually sent to her but merely composed "I'm sorry, I tried." She had figured out the 'Song' she had wanted to show them was likely the level upper or at least Saten thought it was.

Saten was scared and she accedentily dropped her drink onto Professor Kiyama's lap. The professor stood up and began taking off her clothes while saying "Please don't worry about it, it just got on my stockings so when I take them off..."

A shout came from Kuroko "How many times do we need to tell you not to take your clothes off in public?"

Apparently the professor didn't think that any man would care to look at her, Kuroko said that since every man had different tastes she couldn't know that and that she would shock women too.

Joule was averting her eyes from the situation while wondering that if the Level upper was a song, how did it work?

[ACSR: Taisetsu na Tomodachi]

Time passed, they were there for most of the afternoon as the sun was setting by the time they were done.

As the professor left, Kuroko thanked her. The professor accepted that thanks and admitted that it reminded her of when she was a teacher. Even though Kuroko then asked about her being a teacher, the professor simply admitted again that she was one before walking away.

As Kuroko noted the strangeness of Kiyama and then Uiharu noted Kuroko's own strangeness Joule looked back towards Saten. She was backing away as if wanting to leave without anyone noticing. Joule followed her as she began to walk quickly away and soon after noticed Misaka following them too.

When Saten had reached a bridge and leaned against one of it's pillars Joule spoke up "Saten, you could just drop it off anonymously if you wanted."

Saten jumped having not seen her following before trying to play dumb "It? what would I want to drop off and where?"

Joule sighed "The level upper audio on your phone, Judgement perhaps?"

The girl's shoulders fell as Joule continued in a calming voice "I won't tell them if you don't want to."

Saten looked at her and spoke quietly "I haven't even used it yet, I worked so hard to get it." Joule nodded and continued "If you want to keep it you can, just remember the side effects the others mentioned."

Saten nodded "A Coma, I know but they are rare aren't they?"

Joule shrugged "I don't think you should risk it, I think you should anonymously drop it off. This is what I would do however, what you do is up to you."

As Misaka managed to catch up Saten nodded "I'll remember your advice."

Misaka asked "Joule, Saten why did you run off?"

Saten admitted that she had left because she "Felt like I was unconnected, I'm not a part of judgement." Joule admitted she had just followed Saten like Misaka herself had done.

Joule heard a small sound so she looked towards it and saw a charm that must have just fallen from Saten. Misaka picked it up and gave it back to Saten who thanked her.

"You've always got that thing hanging from your bag." Misaka stated. Saten gave a slightly nervous laugh "Yeah I guess I do, I got it from my mum" she held the charm up in the air and looked at it. "It seems silly, it isn't as if good luck charms are scientific." Saten continued as she became lost in thought. After a moment she came out of her memories and concluded "At the end of the day my mother is just superstitious, it's not like something like this could protect me anyway is there? Its not as if it was magic.".

Misaka comforted her by saying the very fact of the charm's existence proved that her mother cared a lot about her.

Saten agreed but said that it felt as if she herself was not living up to expectations as she was still a level 0. Misaka asked if her level really mattered that much and she clenched her fists.

Misaka and Joule chatted for a bit before all three went their own ways.

Joule talk 10: Finishing a gift

[[ASG: Cyanotype]]

GV was making supper when Joule got back. As she did she remembered the charm that Saten had and her own unfinished charm that she had left back in the original world. It was unlikely that GV had it on him now as he would have had to bring the incomplete charm with him for no use.

She asked anyway "Gunvolt, whatever happened to those Jewels you were collecting?"

She readied herself for disappointment but GV looked surprised before speaking "I brought them with me to Babel, they were found on me when we came to this world."

Light filled Joule's eyes for a moment as GV continued "They are currently in a small wooden box in my room."

Joule rushed in, grabbed the box and took it with her to look at in the main room of their accommodation.

She opened it and saw 7 jewels sitting in the box. She had seen 6 of them before but the 7th was new, clearly found on the mission he was on before her kidnapping to Babel tower.

The 6 still had the small foil she had attached to them to make them able to attach to a string so she would be able to continue her gift for GV even now.

She took a thread and threaded the 6 jewels so far before looking for some foil to create the last setting.

*Gunvolt feels a little closer to Joule*

End of chapter

Episode 10 next week