"Hello, my name is Index, and I'm a Sister," Index said gently, introducing herself.
'A nun?' Saten Ruiko thought doubtfully. 'Academy City does have a few schools that study theology. Could she be a student from one of those?'
"Oh no! There are only ten minutes left until the agreed time!" Uiharu Kazari said hurriedly, checking the clock on her phone. She turned to Yuuya apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Takahashi-senpai, but Saten-san and I have somewhere very important to be."
"Where to?" Yuuya asked.
"Well, Uiharu and her Judgment partner made plans to meet the Railgun—the third-ranked Level 5 in Academy City—so I tagged along," Saten said, scratching her temple with a hint of helplessness.
'Going to meet the third-ranked Level 5, who is also a rich young lady from Tokiwadai... she must be the kind of arrogant, annoying elite who looks down on everyone with a lower level,' Saten thought nervously.
"Yes, exactly!" Uiharu clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with longing. "I finally get to formally meet Misaka Mikoto! Even though I technically bumped into her and Takahashi-senpai by chance last time, I'm still incredibly excited!"
"Hehe... is that so?" Yuuya's lips twitched slightly. The girl they ran into last time was actually a Misaka Sister, not the original Mikoto at all. What a massive misunderstanding.
"Huh? Are Takahashi-senpai and that Level 5 from Tokiwadai friends?" Saten asked curiously. Although she had heard Uiharu mention that her Senpai seemed to know the Railgun, she didn't know the details.
'Takahashi-senpai is really popular, though... he seems to know a lot of girls,' she mused.
"Misaka Mikoto? Oh! You mean Biribiri!" Index immediately understood upon hearing the name.
'Yuuya seems to really like that Biribiri girl, but he also seems to find her annoying,' Index thought, finding it contradictory. 'If he likes her, why is he always arguing with her? But if he dislikes her, why does he always tease her whenever we run into her?'
"Biribiri?" Uiharu and Saten were stunned for a moment, looking at Index. "Are you calling Misaka-san... Biribiri?"
"Yeah! That girl with the chestnut hair always makes electricity crackle from her bangs, so we just call her Biribiri," Index said innocently.
Uiharu and Saten exchanged embarrassed glances. What a bold move, giving a terrifying Level 5 such a casual nickname. However, it implied that this silver-haired girl was actually quite familiar with the Railgun.
"Biribiri, huh? I guess you could say we're friends," Yuuya chuckled, instantly recalling the furious, teary-eyed look on Mikoto's face when she wanted to teach him a lesson but couldn't.
Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko stared at the unexpected figure approaching them, their cheeks twitching in unison.
"Why are you here? Did you come here specifically to wait for me? Or were you stalking me?!" Mikoto demanded unhappily, glaring at Yuuya with a dark expression.
"Exactly! Why is this filthy ape always haunting us?!" Kuroko immediately jumped forward, pointing an accusing finger at Yuuya.
"I just came here with Uiharu and Saten," Yuuya said innocently, gesturing to the girls beside him.
"..." Kuroko's eye twitched violently. She had almost completely forgotten that her Judgment partner, Uiharu, actually knew this ape. It wasn't impossible that he had just tagged along after running into them on the street.
"So that's how it is," Mikoto said, crossing her arms. She remembered the photos Kuroko had shown her before; her junior's friend and Takahashi Yuuya were indeed acquainted.
"What a spoilsport... damn it," Kuroko muttered angrily. She then sighed helplessly and turned to Mikoto. "Well then, Onee-sama, let me formally introduce you. This is my partner, Uiharu Kazari, a first-year student at Sakugawa Middle School. And this is..."
Saten chuckled nervously. "Hello, I'm Saten Ruiko, Uiharu's classmate. I just sort of tagged along."
'This Level 5 from Tokiwadai really doesn't seem to have a very good temper,' Saten thought warily.
"You're Uiharu-san and Saten-san, right? My name is Misaka Mikoto. It's very nice to meet you both," Mikoto said, her demeanor instantly shifting into a friendly, gentle, and perfectly refined greeting.
The atmosphere suddenly softened completely, which caught Saten off guard. Looking at the smiling Mikoto, she suddenly felt that the Railgun actually had a very kind and approachable personality. The change was like night and day.
'Could it be that this rich young lady from Tokiwadai isn't the condescending elitist I imagined at all?' Saten thought.
"P-Please take good care of us!" Uiharu and Saten replied respectfully.
"Hehe, now that the formal introductions are done, let me handle the itinerary! I am the best at planning these things!" Kuroko said excitedly, practically puffing steam from her nostrils.
Mikoto was speechless. "...No need."
"Since we can't just stand around here doing nothing, why don't we head to a comic book store or the arcade?" Mikoto suggested casually, placing one hand on her hip.
"A comic bookstore...?"
"An arcade...?"
Uiharu and Saten were completely taken aback, exchanging a bewildered glance. That was absolutely not the kind of refined outing they expected from a high-class Tokiwadai Lady.
"An arcade it is. How about a fighting game, Misaka?" Yuuya suggested with a smirk. "Since you obviously can't beat me in a real Esper fight, you might actually have a slim chance in a video game."
"Hmph! It's incredibly annoying how you keep bringing up my loss!" Mikoto snapped unhappily. She then raised her chin with overflowing confidence and pride. "Fine! Since you're practically begging me to crush you in a game, let me make this absolutely clear first: I have never lost a match."
"I might not play games often, but beating you shouldn't be too difficult. How about we make it interesting and add a little stake?" Yuuya's eyes flashed with a calculating light.
"A stake?" Mikoto asked cautiously.
"A Punishment Game. The loser has to unconditionally obey the winner's orders for an entire day. How about that?" Yuuya snapped his fingers provocatively.
'A Punishment Game...?' Mikoto frowned immediately. 'Is this guy just trying to find another excuse to bully me? But I've never lost an arcade game in my life. If things get dicey, I can subtly cheat by directly interfacing with the machine using my electromagnetism. Wait... this guy also has my Electromaster ability, so he can hack the machine too, right?!'
"What's wrong, Misaka? Are you afraid of losing to me in a video game too?" Yuuya teased provocatively. "Oh, what a pity."
Mikoto, instantly enraged by the taunt, clenched her fist. "Since you're so desperate to lose, you'd better prepare yourself to be at my beck and call for the rest of the day!"
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Give me powerstones.
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