Sorry for the delayed update, work on this arc was slow compared to the old version. Considering that I had to write this from scratch it took me a while to make this.
I hope you guys enjoyed this. Let me know what you guys think in the comments down below, constructive criticism is very much appreciated.
-
"U...Uh... Uh? W-Where am I?" As Uiharu came into consciousness she found herself asking that question.
The last time she remembered was a clash. A clash, between AntiSkill and-
Uiharu widened her eyes in shock. "That's right..."
Seeing the rest of the officers get wiped out by the DualSkill ability using woman had brought a chill within her heart. Perhaps the stress had made her faint at some point.
She could berate her weakness for another time. She had to find someone familiar, and perhaps help out in any way she could.
Someone must've taken her out of the car, considering her being outside. But who took her out of there? Misaka-san?
"You know nothing!"
A loud cry from her right turned her head towards the source. She got up and went over to where the yell was.
-
"Where are you going Shirai-san?"
"I have to help out Nee-sama! Please let me go out there!"
"You can't! You're too injured to help!"
"But-!" Sharp pain from her shoulder made her wince.
"Misaka-san can handle herself. Have some faith.
Besides, she's not alone."
Shirai knew this, but even still she couldn't help it.
-
"You know nothing!" Her yell made Mikoto stop in shock. "I will do anything in my power to save those kids! Even if the whole city comes after me, even if I get dragged down to the deepest pits of Hell, as long as I save those children I can't stop now! I've gone too far enough, and I won't stop for anything!"
"To the point you'd kill us. Is that right?"
"Without a doubt."
Kamijou half-expected that response. Her cries of agony weren't for show, they were genuine. She had truly cared for those kids, whoever they are, to the point of causing this much pain and suffering to save them.
He could understand it.
But he can't allow it to happen to more people.
Because it was a slippery slope. And she was in danger of falling off into the darkness.
He can't abide by it.
Not when this bitch had to pay for the misery she has caused.
Experiments? Revenge? None of that mattered. Just because shitty things happened to you doesn't mean you must drag others into your problems.
"Which is why I have to stop you."
You had to keep moving forward, for the sake of the people you've lost, and accept your suffering, make sure others would never end up the same as you. If you hadn't you would be no better than the people you've sworn to punish.
He might be extremely harsh right now. And he might've read this whole thing wrong for that matter. But he never cared for much.
Not when there was something at stake. The smiles of the people she had taken advantage of, for the sake of her "noble goals".
The woman only let off a grunt, before she took a step forward.
He tensed for the attack-
-iakfkenfcksld-
Something was wrong. She was clutching her head in pain.
Something within him roared the answer why. He couldn't hear the electric girl's worry towards the professor.
"... The network. It's... spiralling... out of control..."
LOOK OUT!
"Oh fuck," cried out Kamijou as he dodged incoming attacks from the fetus monster, dozens of massive ice spears, with the Electromaster not too far off. She fired back with an attack of her own, firing electric spears from the bangs of her hair.
The attack landed, but the fetus monster didn't care much, as it regrew parts of it. It also seemed to get a lot larger.
"Misaka-san!" A cry from behind called the Railgun's attention. But Kamijou couldn't look back. He had to make sure that whatever this thing is, it couldn't continue to rampage any longer.
"Uiharu-san, what are you going in here!? It's not safe, go back with the others up there!" Misaka cried out.
"I know that, but!"
"Stay where you are! I don't know what that thing is, but it's about to get ugly in-"
Mikoto was prepared to fight this creature, but it looked as if its attention was diverted eslewhere. It looked to be in pain.
"You got a plan Railgun!? Any way to take this thing out!?" The red man's yell took her out of her trance.
"Uh, I uh..." she started to say but the beast lifted up into the overpass.
"Hold that thought for a while. Go to your friend over there and think of some kind of game plan."
The red man said this, and by using the line of white rope in his arms he slingshotted upinto the elevated highway.
Kamijou landed to the overpass, only to see complete chaos. It almost seemed like he went to a different world, from an eerie silence to a loud cacophony of gunfire.
The AntiSkill officers who were unharmed by Kiyama's earlier rampage were currently engaged with the monstrous abomination, which has sprouted several tendrils to defend itself from the attacks.
Several of its tendrils slammed into some of the AntiSkill personnel, their advanced body armor taking most of the damage. Kamijou acted immediately, leaping forward to catch the flung back personnel before further harm could happen.
A man's panicked yell brought him to snatch the officer to safety with a single line of web, right before tendrils slammed into the pavement of where he once was.
"You're welcome," he said to the officer before moving once more, shoving another group of officers out of the way. His Instincts blared at that moment, and a second later he felt his gut struck with tremendous, hemorrhaging force as he's flown back several meters, however his inhuman durability and stamina allowed him to quickly recover and he once more charged into the fray.
"Hey, isn't that the red man we've been chasing around in the city all those weeks ago? What the hell is he doing here?" One of the currently engaged officers asked.
"He's helping us out by shoving us out of that monster's attacks! Don't shoot him, fire only at the creature!" Another officer, who was one of those the red man saved, said.
"Noted! Keep suppressing fire towards the enemy! Make sure it doesn't reach the city!" Another officer, an older woman with a long ponytail yelled declaratively.
Strong affirmations were said as they continued to attack the creature, with the red man doing every thing he can to save as many as he could. But the attacks of the monster increased in frequency and ferocity. There seemed to be no end to its rampage.
'Fuck it! I'm taking it head-on! Hell if this doesn't work, gotta make sure this stops now!' In an act of recklessness Kamijou leaped towards the monster, fist cocked back and ready. He was about to strike it, but the creature surprisingly dodged, instead of taking the hit head on.
'That's strange, it never did that when it got shot and zapped by her. Is it reacting to my Imagine Breaker,' Kamijou had those thought within him stir. The gears quickly turned within his brain, and an idea popped.
All this happened while he was still in the air. Currently.
And a tendril flew at him, striking him in the chest and sending him flying at breakneck speeds at the overpass.
Good thing for his durability, hence he would've turned into paste.
"Rotten luck."
-
"Is that an AIM diffusion field?"
"More specifically, it's a cumulative collection of AIM fields; an AIM Burst, if you will. All 10,000 of them bundled together into the Level Upper network. Clumping them all together had served as a catalyst to bring to life a monster of latent consciousnesses. In short, that thing over there is an entity made out of 10,000 children's thoughts."
"Then how do we stop it?" Misaka asked.
"You're asking me for help, honestly? You're never going to trust me, not after everything I've done to you."
Uiharu stepped forward, and moved both her slim arms towards Kiyama, presenting her wrists in front of her.
"You took off my handcuffs, didn't you?" Uiharu pointed out. "You could've left me in that car, where I would've been in harm's way. And yet you took the time to give me the chance to escape, didn't you?"
"Hmm. That is completely arbitrary. Don't tell me you completely trust me because of that."
"That's not all," Uiharu stepped in front of her, looking her in the eye. "I know you genuinely wish to bring them back. I can sense it in your voice. Despite your questionable methods... you've never thought for any thing less than those children, haven't you?
Which is why I trust you."
Uiharu's last line and smile made Kiyama see the face of one of the comatose students within her visage.
Why? How could someone genuinely trust her to do the right thing, even after everything? It... doesn't make any sense.
But something within her, something she thought had died, compelled her. And a resolve solidified within her heart.
"There might be a way," Kiyama said, which got the girls' attention. "That creature was created from the Level Upper Network. If we shut down the network, we can finally stop the rampage."
Hearing this Uiharu realized something as she reached into her pockets.
The treatment program!"
"It's a shot in the dark, but here's hoping it'd work." Kiyama said.
"That guy you fought earlier's currently engaging with it as we speak. I'll go and join in, see what I can do to help. Meanwhile Uiharu, take that to AntiSkill, and find a place to play it."
"Will that man be alright?" Uiharu asked.
"He pulled his weight back then. And he saved me, couple times in fact. I'd say he could hold on for more than a few minutes." Misaka assured. She had seen firsthand that man's prowess and skill in combat.
And not to mention...
'Might be me seeing things but...'
A strong impact and a large explosion of dust took her off her thoughts however as the three girls covered their eyes, shielding their vision.
The three looked within the dust cloud, where a shadowy figure was seen walking towards them. As it exited the dust the figure revealed to be the red man, greeting them with a slumbering gait, and while the red did good hiding the blood they could still smell the horrible scent of iron. His clothes tattered and torn from the battle up above, showing a bit of his well-built body, which was filled with small but significant wounds.
"Crap!" Misaka exclaimed as she, and Uiharu went over, bringing him over their shoulders. Careful not to injure him any further. However the man quickly, seemingly recovered as he thanked the two and stood on his own power. "You look like hell."
"Hehe, you should've seen the other guy," he quipped.
"I can see that. How's it going?"
"Nothing they could do to put a dent to it. I had a hunch back then, that maybe I might be able to take it out."
"Oh? What is it?" A higher-pitched voice let up, and the short figure of Uiharu looked at the man. "If I can go to AntiSkill I might be able to go find a place to plug this in and play it. Then you can do your plan and stop it for good!"
"Uh... who are you?" Kamijou asked. The girls nearly fell in disbelief.
"This is my friend Uiharu. And what she has in her hands," Misaka said as the flowerband girl held up a small USB-like device, "is perhaps the only chance to take it out of commision."
"Well, can't say all those minutes I spent occupying its attention weren't for nothing. So what's the plan?"
"It's what Uiharu said, go over to AntiSkill and have them play the file within this drive. It will play out a song which will heal all the victims of the Level Upper, at the same time weaken that thing. I'll go buy some time keeping it busy so that it can be contained in this area." Misaka explained.
"In that case I could help out and go-"
"No."
"What?" Kamijou turned to the source. It wasn't the flower girl, nor was it the Railgun either. They both turned to Dr. Kiyama.
"You're in no condition to fight. With the injuries you've accumulated you'll lose blood and go into shock within minutes."
"I'm a fast healer, so that won't bother me. Plus I'm pretty capable of keeping myself up. Now if we could-"
"No she's right," Misaka piped up, interrupting the man. "You're in pretty bad shape. We won't be able to do that plan of yours if you're wrecked beyond repair. Assuming you have something against it, right?"
"..."
"Stay here and rest, I'll deal with that thing out there. Uiharu, find anyone to help you set it up." Quickly did Misaka take charge at that moment. Uiharu quickly ran towards the stairs, and Mikoto used electromagnetism to leap up the overpass.
Kamijou was left alone together with the doctor.
"If you have something to say to me, then now would be a good time. I know what I did to you." Kiyama spoke up after a while.
"...Just so we're clear, they must've convinced you to help them or something right?"
"That's right."
"Hngh."
"..."
"..."
"...So that's it?"
"If they trust you then so can I."
"Honestly... I can never understand that girl, and especially you. You must be naive to quickly trust a rotten witch like me." Kiyama said sardonically.
"Well it's not like you can do anything to me at your state. I sense your power is gone."
"Oh?" Kiyama felt a twinge of irritation at that. "I could just-"
"Grab something on the ground and finish me off right now. You could. But..."
Kamijou turned to the doctor.
"I would break you before you put your hands on that piece of rebar. So I would refrain from doing so."
Kiyama felt a slight chill from the man's cold tone.
-
Currently engaged in battle the two remaining officers, Yomikawa and Tessou held their ground, firing their rifles at the creature. It then formed another tendril within its body, which slammed into Yomikawa, sendingher back a considerable distance away.
Tessou, the bespectacled officer called to her superior officer in a panic, before seeing through her peripheral vision a single tendril approaching her way. She quickly turned and poured every bullet unto the elongated appendage. Closing her eyes, in a "spray and pray" fit.
The click of her rifle signifying its lack of ammo had snapped her out of her panic, and she opened her eyes just to see the partly damaged tendril, quickly repairing itself. The almost-cancerous mass wriggled and shifted, almost like a mass of countless worms squiggling within, before it healed the damage.
Forming to itself, a pair of small arms and a single bloodshot eye with yellow irises leered at the lone helpless woman.
"S-Stay back. N-No...!" Tessou froze on the spot, her legs trembling in terror. The tendril slithered closer and closer, as Tessou's mind went blank.
Just then she felt something slam into her belly, bringing her away from the sentient appendage, dropping her gun in the process. She didn't notice the tendril touching the gun, causing a devastating explosion which cratered the area she was initially on.
Had she been a second too late Tessou would've been obliterated. Misaka silently sighed in relief, thankful that she got there in time.
That said... "Why did you stick around in there, and not run!? You could've died!"
Tessou turned to see a middle school-aged girl standing beside her, a worried and angered look on her face. "W-What? What is a civilian like you doing here, you should be running away!"
"Seriously, this whole "civilian" thing is really getting on my nerves," Mikoto deadpanned to herself.
"Anyway you have to get away, it's not safe-" she was about to warn the young brunette but was interrupted by her being pulled away just as another tendril approached the two, causing the side of the highway to explode.
Mikoto sent a lightning spear towards the tendril, damaging it and sending it into retreating to the main body.
"This thing won't attack anyone unless you give it reason to, and you have been feeding it a lot of bullets. I suggest you should be the ones to get away."
"No can do." An older female officer, with a long ponytail had said. "We can't let it go towards over there." She pointed towards the location where the creature. "It's an experimental nuclear plant."
Mikoto felt her mind spark in panic as she quickly realized the implications.
"Wait, where is she going?" The bespectacled officer turned to see a lone girl, running up the stairs.
"She's Kiyama's hostage from earlier. For all this commotion she's awfully slow for someone trying to get away." The older officer grumbled.
"She's not. Nor is she in any danger." Mikoto interrupted. "I need a favor from you guys."
"Shit, this stings!"
"For having been slammed into the ground and struck multiple times by a collective mass of AIM fields and brains you sure are still lively enough to whine about it."
"Just cause I can take it don't mean it hurts less." Kamijou argued to the stripper lady.
"How peculiar. And you've been giving me a lot of trouble earlier. You're strong."
"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess."
"...Back there," Kiyama started, and Kamijou stopped fidgeting in place, "when you were about to attack me, you sounded as if there was something bothering you. I don't mean to pry, but I was thinking..." She turned to him.
"Did the things I say back there bother you that much?"
"..."
Kamijou, frankly, would've had a field day with trying to process the things he heard from her, especially the things about those kids she mentioned.
Perhaps what she had said was so to distract the both of them into lowering their guard so she could strike. However Mikoto's visage of utter shock and pale face had seemed that she saw something she shouldn't have.
And hearing the woman's words had stirred something within him, a memory he didn't want to remember.
"...There was this friend of mine, it was so... long ago. Felt like, it was a long ago." Kamijou said. The seemingly insomniac woman's sunken eyes widened slightly.
"...Something happened to her, and I wasn't strong or fast enough to save her." Kamijou left it up to that. "...If I had the chance to go back in time to save her I would... but time travel still hasn't been invented yet, it seems."
He tried to end the conversation with a joke, but as he turned around he saw the woman's grimace as she listened. "H-Hey, I didn't mean that last part. I-I mean, even if someone tried to travel in time I wouldn't that chance to do so..."
"..." But the woman said nothing, and turned around, minding her business. Though she also looked deep in thought, as if ruminating on something. Kamijou stopped talking and was left alone.
Suddenly his danger sense went off, and he quickly leapt into action.
"Wait, you're in no condition to fight! We need you for that plan to-!"
"That flower girl is in danger, I can't waste time right now! Stay here and don't move a muscle, cause if you do there'll be hell to pay ya hear me?" He quickly said to the woman as he sprinted off to the way where the stairs were.
Kiyama was left alone in that place, pondering her choices.
'So many are willing to risk their lives to correct my mistakes...' she thought to herself.
-
'Just a few more minutes I can just reach them and play this song to save everyone! But I have to hurry! Misaka and that red guy are counting on me!' Uiharu quickly picked up the pace as she raced up the stairs, hoping to reach AntiSkill to have them help her.
She hoped this was enough.
However her trip to the stairs was interrupted by a single blast of energy heading towards her way.
Before the beam could strike her she was pulled back at the last second, before the blast blew up a part of the railing.
"Be careful now," a man said, and she felt the man's arms unwind off her. She turned to see the Red Man standing on top of her. "Where's the Railgun?"
"You! Wawawait, are you healed enough?"
"Yeah, I am. Enough to move around without hurting myself. Now I ask again if you mind but where's the Railgun?" Kamijoi asked. Uiharu only pointed towards the open area, and Kamijou followed her finger to see the Electromaster in front of the creature, looking on them in concern, before it broke into relief, as she turns to the monster once more.
"Where are you headed?"
"One of AntiSkill's truck has a radio to their command center. If I can tell the officers up there to send this to them I can play the song and weaken that thing, and perhaps heal the victims in the process," Uiharu concisely explained to Kamijou.
"Okay then, hold on to that. I've just the right thing to get up there quickly," Kamijou said. Before the flower girl could ask his plan he wordlessly picked her up, holding her in a bridal carry. Ignoring her flushed-red face he quickly leapt up into the air, immediately covering the height of where they were in the staircase up to the overpass.
As the elevated road approaches Kamijou's sight, within seconds he landed on the wrecked road without much effort, landing on his feet. His appearance had lightly startled the AntiSkill officer duo present. However the older of the two recovered from her surprise and immediately went into business, asking for Uiharu's drive.
"Where are the others? What happened," Kamijou asked.
"We gathered the injured over there," the girl with glasses said, pointing at a spot where the remaining officers were. Kamijou turned to see some of the officers walking around, trying to balance themselves, nursing the wounded, some still unconscious. It was a nightmare for someone like the Scarlet Vigilante.
"Holy shit."
"You must be Uiharu," the ponytailed woman asked.
"Uh, y-yes?"
"Your friend, the Railgun has said that you may have something that could help stop that beast from rampaging further. Where is it, if I may ask?" Uiharu quickly pulled out the small drive, nearly dropping it in the process. "Be careful with it."
"S-Sorry."
"I'll send it to the guys in charge of the radio speakers across the city. Go in there and input the file. I'll tell them about it."
"Yes!" Uiharu quickly got in the van and starting working.
"And as for you," the woman turned to Kamijou. "What will you do then?"
Kamijou turned, to see Bugzapper currently occupying the beast. A single ball of energy was about to strike them, which he dealt with by a single wave of his Imagine Breaker.
"I'll play support. How many injured are there?"
-
A beam of light was blocked by Mikoto's electric attack, while another was instead evaded. Mikoto was on the defensive as of now. However the creature had just ignored her and began to attack those in the overpass. The halo on top of its head exploded in response.
She had fired a lightning spear towards the beast's halo, causing it to temporarily dissipate.
"Hey now, you shouldn't be focusing on them. I'm your problem now."
-
While Misaka was currently fighting the beast Kamijou quickly went and blocked whatever attack was going on their way. He might've just jumped in and fight the creature alongside her, but he felt it to be a rather deadly error, especially as she would be distracted and try to protect him as well.
Kamijou, as he would admit, hadn't got the chance to know the girl well; this might well be an assumption, but she looked to be the type of person to take on several burdens to help everyone.
And it kinda irritated him.
'Dammit, now's not the time to think about that! Gotta do what I can to block these attacks!' Kamijou kept up the pace as each attack seemed to grow in quantity and intensity.
Kamijou was fast, but he doubted he could ever go fast enough to deal with every single attack.
"How much longer will this take, Flowerhead!?" He yelled towards the van where the aforementioned girl was.
"Only a few minutes! Just hold on!"
'I got a slingshot's view from here, gotta make this one count!' Kamijou thought to himself. Seeing Bugzapper fight the beast made him wanna jump in, however he had to stay put, make sure it wouldn't go amok.
Just have to hold it steady...
"I don't care if I get in trouble, I'll deal with it next time so stop talking and play it now goddamit!" He heard an older female's voice.
He heard a nearby speaker activate, with slight feedback ringing in the air.
Music filled the air, a droning tone with slight melodies within its song filling the air. Every student and teacher within the streets of District 7 turned around as they heard the droning tune continue.
At a certain hospital the victims of the Level Upper had stopped their convulsions, returning to a peaceful slumber.
"That's my cue then!" Kamijou said to himself, as he fired some lines on the side, preparing to loose himself at the beast.
'A single touch might be enough to deal with it, but I'm not sure whether I can get there in time. Just... gotta... make it... fast enough...'
Kamijou pulled the weblines in his arms taut.
-
'I cannot allow that to come any further. I have to finish this right now.' Mikoto thought to herself, as the creature in front of her stood still. The tone of the cure for the Level Upper victims rang on in the distance.
'That music...' She then recognized the odd sounds from the announcers in the plant behind her. Turning her head proved to be a mistake as the creature wrapped its tentacles around her, trapping its foe to its clutches.
'Shit!' She exclaimed as it prepares another tendril, and fired it towards the girl, hoping to crush her with it. She fired a electric spear in response, injuring the creature.
'No, if it keeps regenerating, no matter what attack I do to it will be useless,' she started to think, however the damaged limb only hung beside the creature.
'That music! It must be the curing program for the Level Upper! You did it, Uiharu!' With a smirk Mikoto gathered large amounts of electricity around her.
"Sorry for this, but right now it's game over for you!" She fired the cumulated lightning towards the beast, severely damaging the beast and burning off the limb surrounding her.
"Now, is that guy's plan to take care of it," she said to herself.
"Don't drop your guard!" A voice from beside her yelled. "That beast's a creature created from over a thousand AIM fields. It's not like other animals, you must destroy its core within it to destroy it for good!"
"It's hopeless... from the beginning it's all hopeless..."
"Saten...?"
-
'Just, one, more. Pull!' Kamijou pulled even further, feeling the lines straining from the elastic energy built up.
And... NOW!
With a single line he let himself loose, and with cannonball-like speeds he shot towards the AIM Burst.
And with a single second left he thrust his clenched right fist and punched through the creature, destabilizing its form in the process.
He saw himself about to hit the wall of the energy plant, to which he stopped by webbing himself to the ground behind him and stopping his momentum. The whiplash of this sudden stop threatened to pull his arm off its sockets, but fortunately he had strong tendons.
He landed on the ground gracefully, seeing the creature collapse to the ground, parts of it turning to dust.
It wasn't over yet.
"Shit," he said, and turned around to see the Railgun and that stripper lady standing around, somber looks on their faces. He about and ran towards the beast, hoping to finish it off this time-
He was interrupted by a bolt of lightning coming down from the sky, killing it off for good.
They had won, however he felt the air stale and grim, as if something had been lost.
"Did... did something... go wrong?"
"...No. No, you did it in the nick of time." He turned to see the Railgun look at him. "Um... you didn't just finish the job, is all." He saw her smile in assurance, but he felt something wrong with her demeanor and her look.
A glance to the woman's somber expression just clinched it for him.
Kamijou felt a bad taste in his mouth. What caused it, he had an idea why.
"Hey, uh-"
"Don't worry about us. You should get out of here before they come. You did what you could," the brunette said to Kamijou. Her body language betrayed her cheery disposition, but he felt no need to pry.
"Okay then, if you say so." He made his leave, but took another glance behind him.
He felt like something horrible happened before he came in.
He just couldn't let that feeling go.
-
"Was it necessary, to lie to him about what we heard? What we experienced?" Kiyama asked the Electromaster.
"It's better for this to be between the two of us. Besides," she scowled, clenching her fist as sparks erupted from her bangs. "No need to cry ovet it. It's all over now, isn't it?"
"...Yeah. Yeah it is."
-
"So what now? What should we do about those kids then?" Kiyama, her hands cuffed, turned to Mikoto and Uiharu, questioning looks greeting her vision.
"I don't intend to give up. I'll start over again. Whether in prison, or locked beneath the earth, it doesn't matter. That said, I'm not choosy with my methods however.
If the time comes and we meet again, come and stop me again."
"This woman..." Mikoto deadpanned, while Uiharu gave only a strained smile.
"I'll hold you to it then." A familiar had all those present turn to the owner of that voice. Some of the AntiSkill present raised their weapons in response to his appearance.
"It's you!" Uiharu had said aloud, and Mikoto's eyes widened. "But... why are you here? I thought that-"
"Just came here to see her off. Besides we all know what will happen if she does it again." He said. He turned to one of the AntiSkill officers, the older woman with a long ponytail. Currently supporting herself with one crutch, she nodded to the red man, and motioned the rest of the officers to stand down their weapons.
Kiyama was then gathered inside the van, driving off to a classified location within the 7th District.
Yomikawa turned to the red man. "Just this once you hear me?"
With a nod as her reply she left and went with the nearby ambulance to be checked for her injuries, her junior partner right beside her.
Kamijou turned to the two young girls left, and nodded to them as he left.
"Wait!" He stopped suddenly as he heard footsteps. He turned around to see the flower girl bow to him. "Thank you so much for helping us! We appreciate it. And you risked yourself to help... we couldn't repay you enough to-"
"Don't need to," he interrupted. The girl rose her head. "It's what I do, to help people. Don't have to repay me anything."
And with that he leapt away, leaving Uiharu along with Mikoto.
"He's surprisingly modest." Uiharu said with a smile.
"Yeah. Kinda reminds me of another idiot... unless he and him were..." Mikoto muttered.
"???"
"...Nothing. Man, was it a very gruelling day. I can't wait to go home and shower this dirt off." Uiharu could only br amused by her older friend's antics.
A car went over to them, and the door of the backseat opened, revealing a certain pigtailed girl running towards them.
"ONEE-SAMAAAAAA!!!"
"Oh Kuroko..." was all she said before she was tackled by her teleporting junior.
"Oh my dear Sissy, I've missed you so much! I was so worried, I mean I know you could handle it but still couldn't let it go! But oh, you're so dirty, and you might have some wounds on you! Oh don't worry your dear Kuroko will gladly clean you and patch you up in no time!"
"Kuroko, watch where you're touching! I'm fine, thank you very much!"
"Oh that reminds me," Kuroko stopped her cuddling session with her darling Big Sis and turned to Uiharu. "The Level Upper patients have already woken up. Maybe you could pay a certain girl a visit."
Ruiko Saten let out a small sigh as she examined her hands, trying to make another spark happen.
'So that's it then. Back to square one I guess.' She figured that to be the case but still.
"SATEN-SAN!" That cry of concern snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see a messy, heavily panting Uiharu by the door. She must've ran around looking for her.
Saten couldn't hide her surprise at her friend's sudden appearance.
"Uiharu? Hey, what's up?"
" "What's up?!" You just up and left your room Saten! Should you even be walking around in your state? Did the nurses clear you for it? Nevermind that, how are you feeling? Is something still hurting, you need something or-"
"Geez Uiharu, I only slept a little bit, is all. I'm all back to normal, up and ready you know!" Saten cheerfully said.
"But..."
"And you see, I can't even use a powet anymore, so there's that." Uiharu stopped talking, only looking aside in sadness.
Saten glanced to her, seeing the bandages around her left side. A beat had passed between the two girls before the taller girl went in and embraced her petite friend.
"S-Saten?"
"I'm sorry... for being too hung up on petty things, for keeping secrets from you, for putting you through all that trouble. I came too close... so close, to losing something far more important to me than some power. Even more so than any power."
"Saten..."
"I almost forgot one thing..."
Uiharu looked as Saten kneeled forward and- "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Uiharu felt a breeze under her, and after a moment of shock she quickly pushed down her skirt. "MOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! Why did you do that for!? You're still in the hospital!"
"It's gratitude for everything you've done for me! Although I'd say, you really need to clean up under there!"
"Seriously h-how could you say such things!? Mouuu!"
"Welp, that takes care of everything. All's well that ends well, right Sissy?" Kuroko looked on in amusement at the two girls' antic before turning to see her senior with a troubled look on her face. "Sissy?"
"Oh, n-nothing." She perked up, responding to her. But Kuroko could tell her seniorclassman had something on her mind.
"Were the people who used Level Upper wrong in doing so?" Mikoto perked up a bit. " "Perhaps it's us espers, who hold actual power, that brought them to do something that could hurt them in the end." I could tell by the look that that's what you're thinking about."
"...Stop it with the mind reading. Seriously, so creepy." Mikoto could only groan in response.
"That kind heart's just like you Onee-sama."
"W-Whatever."
"Well, we shouldn't keep those two waiting for us now would we?" Mikoto turned to see Kuroko's look of mindful understanding, seeing her pint towards the currently occupied friends.
Mikoto felt her worries ease a bit. "...Yeah, ut'd be too rude."
No telling what might come up in the future. But she had far more important things to focus on.
And well, a friend had gotten up and recovered, so she might as well check up on them.
By the end of the day, Mikoto truly smiled. 'Never a dull day in this city.'
She only hoped these days would last.
Unbeknownst to the four girls however a lone figure watched them from afar.
And with a slight somber look hidden by their mask he quickly left before anyone could notice.
And that is it! How do you guys like it so far?
Honestly, I've struggled a lot with this arc, I dunno why. But now that this is over, I cam finally focus on the next arc! Still making chapters for it, but now that I've finished with this I can finally focus more on future projects.
I hoped you guys had stuck long enough with me, you guys are the reason why I still keep writing. And for new guys, welcome to A Certain Misfortunate Spider. Hope you enjoy the ride.