Chapter Eight

My gaze trailed up the walls as I examined the high ceiling. Massive windows kept the hall nice and bright, even without the dimly lit spherical chandeliers. There were paintings at the end of each corridor and the doors were a dark brown wood.

I adjusted the silver hairpin, damp hair clinging to my skin. Misaka's clothes felt loose on me, despite us sharing the same DNA. Then again, in such an ostentatious dorm, I couldn't imagine the original being underfed.

My stomach groaned and a frown snuck its way onto my face. Hopefully, I would find the cafeteria soon. It was early enough in the morning that it should be fairly empty.

My shoes clacked against the hardwood floors. Fortunately, the one article of clothing I could keep was the most important.

Well, Misaka's clothes aren't all bad. Who would've thought the original wears shorts under her skirt? Wish I had come up with that myself.

I'd found Tokiwadai's uniform ridiculous from the first moment I saw it. It looked nothing like a real school uniform. Tokiwadai's dorms seemed to follow this trend as well. It was all so… European. But not real European. More like a Hollywood set, or something pulled from the pages of a shoujo manga.

I'm starting to see a theme here, I thought sarcastically.

Kuroko was asleep last I saw her, and I wasn't looking forward to seeing her again. Not that I had anything against her… no, scratch that. The girl had issues.

Still, she was Misaka's friend, and I knew I needed to set the situation straight. Somehow.

I let out a light, flighty sigh. My frown slowly melted away as a sense of warbled contentment awkwardly settled.

Alright. I'll think about that later. First things first, getting some food!

Picking up the pace, I nearly ran head-first into a tall woman in a suit.

"Oh- sorry!" I flinched hard, my hand unconsciously reaching for my empty pocket. I quickly scrutinized the woman. She was an adult with a stern-face; long, dark brown hair; and wore rimless glasses.

Right. This must be the dorm supervisor Misaka mentioned. Aside from being strict with upholding dorm rules, there was nothing particularly notable about the woman. Assuming Misaka's detailed retelling of how she broke Kuroko's neck was just an over-exaggeration.

Relaxing my fists, I stood a tad straighter and politely nodded my head. "Good morning, Dorm Supervisor."

The dorm supervisor glanced at me, as though noticing me for the first time. "Good morning, Misaka. Aren't you up early?"

"Yes, I am." Acknowledge her words, but don't try coming up with excuses. Unless she wants a proper answer, it's best to remain as ambiguous as possible.

The woman narrowed her eyes briefly before shaking her head. Without saying another word, the dorm supervisor continued on her way, hands held before her.

My brows furrowed as I did a double take. The dorm supervisor held her hands in front of her as though she were carrying something, or pulling on a lead. Which was odd, since I couldn't see anything in her hands.

Esper power? No, that couldn't be it. Ah, whatever. It's probably not important.

Turning back around, I continued on my way, a potential crisis avoided.

V V V

Not even a minute later and I ran into yet another person.

She didn't seem to stand out much. The girl was shorter than me, slightly below average height, in the standard Tokiwadai uniform. Her black hair was tied into twin tails, flaring out in vaguely flower-like shapes.

She also wore black stockings and a single black glove on her left hand. A bit peculiar, but I didn't have much reference for what was considered 'normal' in Tokiwadai.

However, there was one thing I was confident in. The comically large spool of fishing line in the girl's hands was not part of the Tokiwadai standard.

Before I could sneak away, the student's gaze locked onto my own. Her purple eyes widened in recognition as she swiftly approached me.

My heartbeat picked up and my fingers stiffened.

Uh oh.

"You must be Misaka Mikoto. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I watched as the girl stopped a meter away, pulling one foot behind her and kneeling ever so slightly. She dipped her head, eyes narrowing as she maintained eye contact. "Tokiwadai student council vice president: Gaouin Tsukasa, at your service."

A chill ran down my back as I forced my breathing into check. Thoughts ran through my head a million miles a minute as I gently contorted my expression into a warm smile.

Alright. She doesn't actually know Misaka, just of her. I… I can work with this.

Let's think about this. Misaka doesn't have a lot of friends. And of the ones she's met, she refers to very formally. At least, I assume so. Saten didn't bat an eye when I used honorifics.

I would have thought she'd be pretty casual, but I guess Kuroko… and technically myself, are the outliers.

Okay, let's try this.

"The pleasure's all mine. What can I do for you, Gaouin-san?"

The vice president briefly paused before putting on a smirk. Her gloved hand rested on her hip, carrying the spool in the crook of her other arm. "Nothing at all. In fact, as a member of the student council, it ought to be me asking what I can do for you."

"Oh. Okay?" It was a commendable stance to take, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Maybe it was the overabundance of black in her appearance. Or perhaps the knowing look on her face.

Or maybe it was the large spool of fishing wire at her side. Gulping, I hooked my thumbs onto the waistband of my skirt. "Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. If you don't mind me asking… what's up with the wire?"

"O-oh." Gaouin froze in place, as though she were caught elbow deep in a cookie jar. Her smile turned brittle as she dramatically pressed her fingers to her forehead. "This is merely a part of my student council duties; it isn't worth mentioning, believe me."

"Y'huh." I carefully examined Gaouin. She was definitely hiding something—her poker face could use a lot of work. Morning light slipped through the windows, scattering across the dormitory halls.

The light bounced off the near-transparent wire. It hung off the spool, dragging behind the girl and disappearing around the nearest corner.

Is this what I think it is?

"Well, it was most certainly uh- nice to meet you, Misaka-sama. But I should really return to my student council business." Gaouin swayed side to side as she maintained decent composure.

Before she could turn away, something began to itch in the back of my mind. A curiosity pulsed and protruded into my psyche.

Ordinarily, I would kill such an impulse at the moment of conception. Such temptations would only end in ruin when dealing with the experiment.

But I wasn't dealing with scientists or enforcers, was I?

So I took a gamble I would've never taken before.

"Is the fishing line to keep you from getting lost?"

Silence filled the space. Surely, if a single pin fell to the floor, it would be heard across the entire building.

Gaouin was tense and her expression locked into place. But even as she remained motionless, her body all but betrayed her; her cheeks slowly shifted to a rosy hue.

"Of course that's not the case! Like I said before, it's just student council business. Do you have so little trust in me?" Bouncing back with the elasticity of a rubber ball, Gaouin schooled her emotions and maintained a confident stance.

"I mean, we've just met." Frowning, I glanced side to side, finding the hall just as vacant as before. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. You may want to ditch the spool."

Raising her brows in surprise, Gaouin leaned forward, interest peaked. "Oh, why's that?"

"I think the Dorm Supervisor found your line. I saw her recently, so depending on how long you've been walking around, she could show up any second now."

"Ah." In an instant, all of her bluster evaporated into thin air. She dropped the spool without any hesitation.

Gaouin spun on her heel and began marching away—in the direction of her wire trail.

My eyes widened and I quickly skipped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe not that direction."

The vice president jerked in place, slightly trembling beneath my fingers. "I knew that," Gaouin muttered.

I could feel my apprehension drain away and leave me with only mild exasperation. Where did the enigmatic student council member go? Give me back my justified wariness!

Soon enough, we were out of sight and couldn't possibly be affiliated with the spool of wire. I mentally apologized to the dorm supervisor, wishing her an uneventful remainder of the day.

"Say," I examined a painting as we passed by it. It was a portrait of a flower in a vase. Vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger as to why. "What 'student council business' do you have in the dorms anyhow?"

Gaouin hummed, matching my step. "Did I not mention it? I'm here at the request of several anonymous students who expressed dissatisfaction regarding the food provided in the outer dorms."

"Really? That's a funny coincidence. I'm headed toward the cafeteria as well." Turning the corner, we came face to face with the staircase leading to the lower floors. It suddenly occurred to me that Misaka's room was on the third floor.

Glancing at Gaouin, I was met with the face of a girl who'd bitten into the flesh of a lemon.

Sighing, I held back any snarky comments and let the silence do the talking for me.

V V V

At first, I would've assumed navigating the first floor would be a quiet affair. Especially after Gaouin embarrassed herself in front of 'Misaka' for the third time in a row.

I didn't give the girl's tenacity enough credit.

"And so the ball launched across the field. Tamaki-san, through the effort and encouragement of her friends, was able to catch it!" The vice president motioned wildly with her arms and her face scrunched up in delight.

Slowly nodding in response, I idly glanced around. "I see."

"It's very precious. Wouldn't you say, Misaka-sama? Ah, how I envy the walls of this wondrous establishment." Gaouin sighed and her shoulders slumped.

Giving the girl a side-eye, I held my tongue and let the comment pass by.

As we turned… Was it the second or third corner? As we turned yet another corner, the architecture remained the same, but the number of occupants changed. And not by a small amount.

The hall wasn't packed by any means, but it seemed it was finally the time of day that students would wake up to face the day.

Every student wore the Tokiwadai uniform. Each walked with poise and posture befitting the pseudo-European school.

As we continued walking forward, our presence was noticed by the many girls. Heads turned our direction and idle conversations dipped into a hushed murmur.

There were utterances of "Vice president" or "Gaouin-sama", but it paled next to what was said about me.

"Misaka-sama," "Onee-sama," "The Railgun," "The Ace." Every eye was focused on our stride. Soon enough, people were putting two and two together, questioning what Gaouin and I could possibly be doing together.

Yeesh. Way to make someone feel uncomfortable. How's Gaouin holding up?

As expected, Gaouin appeared completely unfazed by the attention. She simply smiled and waved, acting the part of the mature and affable vice president.

Following the general flow of the students, it was a painless affair to finally reach the cafeteria.

It was just as opulent and themed as the rest of the dorm. Massive windows covered the east wall, letting in swathes of light, making up for the dimmed chandeliers. The west wall, on the other hand…

Oh, maybe I thought too harshly of Gaouin.

There were two dark oak staircases on opposite ends of the room that led to the second floor. Behind wooden railings were two doors that likely opened to more dorm rooms.

Beneath the second floor was an opening to the kitchen. It was cut into the wall, acting as a glimpse into the tumultuous life of the chefs and maids working the morning away. However, despite this opening, I didn't see any students waiting in line to grab food.

There were a handful of students, each occupying a table with a four person capacity. A few were without food, but most were munching away at their breakfasts.

Where are we supposed to get food?

Oblivious to my confusion, Gaouin took the lead and found a seat in the corner of the room. She gestured to the seat next to her with a smile. "This is the perfect place to watch the casual activities of Tokiwadai. Come, join me, Misaka-sama!"

"If you, uh, insist." Pulling the seat back, I carefully raised the chair such that it wouldn't grind against the floor.

With my back to the wall and Gaouin to my left, I found that the vice president wasn't exaggerating when she said this was the 'perfect' spot. One could see the entire cafeteria, along with nearly every student in it.

"Fascinating, isn't it. Look over there," Gaouin pointed to a group of girls across the room. "See how those three sit together in silence? But it's not because of a dispute or argument. No, they simply aren't morning people. Despite this, they still arrive early so they can spend time together."

"Ah… how precious," the girl mumbled.

"Uh-huh."

But seriously, how are we supposed to get our food? Will it just magically manifest in front of us? Truly, Academy City is the frontier of technology.

…

Actually, I'm pretty sure I saw some maids in the kitchen. In hindsight, that should've been the first thing I noticed.

Ah, how embarrassing, I thought in complete monotone.

My stomach growled as my thoughts lingered on breakfast. But my worries were assuaged for the moment, as I knew that surely one of those high class maids would arrive to rectify the issue.

I rested my chin on my hand and watched as another group of girls enjoyed their meal.

"Oh ho, I see that somebody is hungry." The vice president humorously commented. That humor soon dissipated at my lack of reaction. "Or maybe not?"

Feeling a bit guilty for minutely souring the conversation, I injected some energy into my voice and sarcastically responded, "What, did you think I'd blush like a schoolgirl in an anime over a little stomach grumbles?"

Gaouin remained silent, gaze tilting toward the wall. "Mayhaps."

I tapped my fingers against the table, leaning forward to get in the girl's line of sight. "What's that look for? I'm just messing around, you know." Relaxing my countenance, I did my best to reassure the girl.

Shaking her head, Gaouin took a deep breath and patted down her skirt. "You are something else, Misaka-sama."

Ah, a sense of discomfort rippled through me. I got too casual. Gaouin might have some misconceptions about Misaka now. Oops.

"Misaka?" A voice suddenly said to my left. I snapped my head to the speaker and reached for my pocket.

Contrary to whatever expectations I might've had, the person addressing me was just a simple girl in a blue maid's uniform. She blinked owlishly before exuding an air of composure and competence. "Ah, Misaka, I thought it was you. I see you've finally found someone else to help alleviate your boredom."

"Uh." A pit sank into my chest and a frigid breeze passed through my body. My head grew light as the blood drained away. I struggled to find a response and what did leave my lips was no better than saying nothing at all. "Hey… long time no see?"

I watched as the maid bore the barest of smirks, eyes twinkling with some kind of exasperated mirth. Waiting with bated breath, I could only stay silent as the blue-haired girl turned her attention to Gaouin.

"Thank you for taking care of this wayward ojou-sama." The girl smiled and held her uniform, performing a short curtsy. "Tsuchimikado Maika, at your service."

"A-ah!" Gaouin jumped to her feet and barely kept herself from falling over. She quickly returned the curtsy. "Gaouin Tsukasa, and it's been my pleasure."

"Of course." Tsuchimikado dipped her head and took a small step back. "Now, for today's morning meal, students have the choice between the classic European and the bombastic New England breakfast."

The maid gave me a knowing look before focusing on Gaouin. "So that'll be one New England breakfast. What will you be having, Gaouin?"

I noted the lack of honorifics attached to Gaouin's name. She's awfully casual for a maid.

"Hm…" The vice president's cheeks squished in a cute way as she mulled over the choices. She glanced between me and Tsuchimikado before internally settling her thoughts. "Make that two New England breakfasts, please!"

"Right away." The maid bowed and swiftly left the premises, disappearing into the kitchen.

Looking over at Gaouin, a question slowly started to grow. I held my tongue and waited in case the girl wanted to say something else.

The vice president scanned the room before realizing I was watching her. "Is something the matter, Misaka-sama?"

"Not really…" I hesitated. As curious as I was, there was a limit to how much I should ask.

Gaouin frowned, doing so in a lighthearted fashion. "As I said before, if there's anything I can do for you, you only need to ask."

Suppressing a sigh, I gave in to her kindness and acquiesced. "You said you were here to judge the quality of the cafeteria's food, yeah?"

"That's right!" Gaouin's frown turned upside down and her expression was positively cheery.

"Then why did you order the same meal as me? If anything, going for the other meal would make more sense, since you've already gained a bias by virtue of knowing what my regular meal is."

"Grk-!" Making an odd noise, Gaouin averted her gaze and sweat dripped down her chin. "Well, that's to say…"

Wow. For all her charisma, Gaouin can't keep a lie to save her life.

"If you wanted to hang out at the cafeteria, you could've just said so. Not like you're putting off council work for this, right?" I motioned with my hand as I spoke, keeping my tone gentle.

Exhaling through her nose, Gaouin gave a scandalized huff. "Of course not. I made sure the next several hours were completely free for this excursion.

Organized and time conscientious. Not bad.

I grinned, leaning into the table. "Then there's no issue. We all should have our time to indulge in hobbies, wouldn't you say?"

"Precisely!" I received an exuberant reply as the vice president nearly jumped to her feet. "Despite what-"

Fortunately for me, the girl was unable to continue as Tsuchimikado arrived with two large trays in hand. Setting them on the table, she removed the food and set it in front of us. It truly lived up to the idea of a "New England" breakfast.

Or so I assumed; I'd never been to that part of the US.

The main dish consisted of several items. Golden scrambled eggs gleamed as steam waffed upward. To the side of that were sizzling slices of pork fat, otherwise known as bacon. Greasy foam bubbled across the meat, giving it a thin sheen. Then there were two pieces of short sausages.

They looked a bit like mini hotdogs, in all honesty. Aside from that, there were also a couple pieces of broccoli.

The sides were a mixed bag. A bowl of cereal that looked kind of like frosted flakes; a plate with strawberries and pineapple; two bread rolls; and finally, a cup of tea.

That's a shame. A cup of tea isn't really my cup of tea. Hah hah.

"Excuse me, Tsuchimikado-san, a moment of your time." Raising my eyes, I examined Gaouin as she called for the blue clad maid.

Tsuchimikado clasped her hands together, head tilting to the side. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"That uniform, you're a student at the Ryoran Maid School, are you not?" A maid school? They have those in Academy City?

"That's right," Tsuchimikado affirmed.

Sticking her fork into the scrambled eggs, Gaouin pressed on. "As I thought. Are you familiar with Kirara? She's the student council maid and my personal aid."

The maid's lips pushed together and wrinkles lined her forehead. Then her countenance cleared—a satisfied look of realization took hold. "Oh, Kirara! Yeah, I know her, but I haven't really spoken to her before."

"Really? Then I'll help you become acquainted with her. She's an excellent maid and should have the opportunity to interact with more of her peers." Gaouin glanced to the side and flinched when she met my blank stare. "Is something wrong, Misaka-sama?"

"Huh? Not at all." I took a bite of bacon, briefly relishing in the flavor. "Like I said, nothing wrong with having time for hobbies. Just didn't think you'd be so quick to… keep at it, I guess."

The maid smirked, almost looking down at me over her nose. "Wow, Misaka. I never knew you could be so tactful. Congrats on the level up!"

For a moment, my thoughts stuttered to a halt. A heavy weight squeezed my head, blood rushing to my ears.

Does she know?! No… no, of course not. False alarm. Just a false alarm. But I still need to respond. Uh, judging by Tsuchimikado's words, she sees Misaka as immature.

Misaka, immature?

The previous day's activities flashed in my head.

No, that checks out. Okay, I can do immature.

I forced on a scowl and crossed my arms. With a little heat, I glared at the maid. "Who are you calling tactless? I have plenty of tact."

"Like that time you shamelessly knocked out the power grid in one of your 'spars'?" Tsuchimikado promptly countered without a second to waste.

It took a couple seconds for the retort to register, but when it did…

My mask of irritation slipped away to reveal genuine frustration. I bit the inside of my cheek.

Misaka did that?! I nearly lost three days worth of food because of that power outage! What the hell.

"That… wasn't my fault." Taking a deep breath, I hid my fist under the table, flexing my fingers open and closed. When the anger drained, my eyebrows relaxed and I sighed. "Well, maybe it was my fault, but the guy was asking for it."

Tsuchimikado winked at Gaouin, shrugging her shoulders in a 'what can you do?' kind of manner. "Well, it was great meeting you, Gaouin. I'll be holding you to that meeting with Kirara!"

Gaouin snapped out of whatever she was thinking, having been deeply engrossed in the conversation. She smiled cordially, nodding her head. "I keep my promises, Tsuchimikado-san. Have a pleasant rest of your day."

Grabbing the two metal trays, the maid in blue departed, leaving us to our own devices. Without much thought, I returned to eating my breakfast. Most important meal of the day, and all that.

Munching along, I noticed that the vice president was silent. Glancing over to Gaouin, I found her giving me an odd expression. It was almost like she was inspecting me for the first time, properly giving me a once-over.

Before either of us could get a word in, I caught sight of a girl making her way over to our table. I wouldn't have given it much thought if she weren't wearing the face of someone who'd watched her dog get kicked.

The girl had pastel pink hair and light purple eyes. Her demeanor screamed privileged and her arms were crossed over her modest chest. Letting out an indignant noise, the girl spoke up. "You're quick to the punch, Gaouin. I don't see an ounce of shame in you."

Her voice was lower than I expected, and her tone lacked any flowery or ostentatious language. Gaouin's eyes narrowed and a predatory grin overtook her visage. "What makes you say that, Mashiro-san?"

The now-named Mashiro placed her hands on her hips and sneered. "Don't make me spell it out. You're clearly trying to get Misaka's support for the council elections."

Council election? Ugh, school politics already? It hasn't even been a day yet!

"It's a bit early to talk about the student council elections, but I'll humor you. Even if I was trying to recruit Misaka-sama, what's it to you?" Steepling her fingers, the vice president's behavior shifted. "If you fall behind because of the competition's actions, then you only have yourself to blame, Mashiro-san."

Mashiro's shoulders trembled in fury and she gritted her teeth. Her mild glare contorted, making way for a truly venomous scowl. "You got a lot of nerve speaking to me like that, pipsqueek."

I watched as Gaouin opened her mouth, ready to throw back a scathing reply. Misaka's phone dinged, cutting through the tense atmosphere like scissors through a taut wire.

Two sets of eyes immediately turned to me, one curious and the other affronted. "Sorry, one sec." Pulling out the green device, I flipped the phone open and scanned the screen.

An unregistered number sent me a message.

My pulse skyrocketed and had I been standing, my legs would've shook like a rickety bridge. I stared at it, momentarily unsure what to do next. Thankfully, I quickly came to my senses and made my move.

My thumb trembled as I pressed the 'select' button, opening the mail.

The screen shifted, every millisecond feeling like an eternity.

Words unraveled, barely taking up any space. Frankly, it was remarkably short for something that could be so important.

Then again, prompt messages were always the ones that stuck.

I swept away my hesitation and dug into the most important email I'd ever received.

'The experiment is over. Went bankrupt. Final laboratory was wiped clean.

-Misaka' Aug 20, 2004, 8:55 AM

I read the email once. Twice. Thrice. Tetrice.

My body felt weightless and my head full of helium. The phone felt heavy in my pocket, and I couldn't even remember snapping it closed.

"Misaka-sama…?"

Gaouin expressed her concern, the little spat already fading like a foggy memory. I licked my lips, mouth coarse and dry. Taking a breath, I tried my best to smile. "Sorry, something's come up. It was nice meeting you."

"Hey, what are you-?" What's-her-name attempted to get a word in, but I stepped past her without a second thought.

My legs were like jello and I forged onward, my surroundings becoming naught but background noise. I focused on each step, making sure I put one foot after the other.

Suddenly, my vision cleared and I found myself deep in the city. A light breeze swept around my body, brown bangs flowing across my line of sight.

Falling to my knees, my gaze was transfixed on the brilliant blue sky.

It's over?

All the suffering. The injustice of it all. Done, just like that?

"Honestly." I croaked. "It sounds too good to be true."