As Takahashi Yuuya watched the familiar Tokiwadai girl march over with a stern expression, his memory drifted back to their encounter in the alleyway three days ago.
To unlock that Gold Treasure Chest, he had not only hugged her but also kissed her on the cheek. She was definitely out for revenge now that she had found him.
However, it seemed she had only watched the tail end of the battle. She shouldn't be reckless enough to impulsively fight him here. After all, two Level 5s going all out would cause massive chaos. Since she was an Electro Master, a serious fight would likely paralyze the power grid of the entire school district.
"Well, well... We meet again. What a coincidence, Misaka-chan~" Yuuya smiled, keeping his hands casually in his pockets.
Looking at Mikoto's pretty face, the images of the countless Misaka Sisters flashed through his mind again. Mikoto's stern face froze instantly. She angrily pointed at him, her tomboyish temper flaring.
"Don't suddenly call me by such an intimate name! You bastard, I've finally found you! I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Her cheeks flushed bright red—whether from sheer anger or from recalling the sudden kiss from three days ago, it was hard to tell, especially with the culprit standing right in front of her.
"What's going on? Are we going to start fighting again?" Sogiita Gunha crossed his arms, looking at Mikoto. "Are you that Railgun? Speaking of which... one, two, three, four, five."
Gunha counted on his fingers. "So there are already five Level 5s here today! I still don't understand why so many of us gathered in one place. Are you here to fight for the Number One ranking too?!"
"I didn't come here for the title of Number One! I just happened to be in the area!" Mikoto said indignantly. She then glared daggers at Yuuya, her fists clenched and crackling with blue electricity.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you have so many abilities? And how do you know how to fire my Railgun?! Now that I've caught you, do you have any last words?"
Yuuya shrugged at her interrogation. He stroked his chin, his tone dripping with playful teasing.
"You really want to know who I am? Misaka-san, are you already that interested in me? I know mysterious, bad-boy types are very attractive, but be careful not to get addicted to me~"
A pulsing anime "popping vein" mark appeared on Mikoto's forehead. Blue electricity surged violently from her bangs. She narrowed her eyes, pulled an arcade coin from her shorts pocket, and flicked it into the air, catching it on her thumb. She aimed directly at Yuuya.
"So you don't want to talk, huh? Do you want to experience the thrill of the real Railgun firsthand?"
'This guy is obviously a troll who won't tell the truth,' she thought. 'The most direct way to get answers is with force. He's incredibly strong, and he even knows how to mimic my signature move. If I don't figure out who he is now, it's going to bother me forever.'
"Come on, then. Shoot right here." Yuuya narrowed his eyes, grinning as he tapped his chest.
Mikoto's breath hitched, her eyes widening in disbelief. Why wasn't this guy playing by the rules? Her lips twitched slightly; she didn't know how to proceed. 'Don't think I wouldn't dare!'
"Come on. I won't dodge or flinch," Yuuya said with a wicked grin.
He knew this kind of intimidation worked wonders on low-level thugs; the mere sight of the coin would send them running for their lives. But against him? Mikoto was just putting on an act. She wouldn't dare actually fire a lethal shot at point-blank range against an unshielded target.
"I-I really will shoot!" Mikoto stammered, her expression flustered and her voice lacking its usual confidence. But her pride and competitive nature prevented her from backing down so easily.
"Shoot!" Yuuya challenged calmly.
"You despicable bastard!"
Mikoto gritted her teeth. She flicked her thumb.
BZZZT!
A beam of orange light shot out—deliberately aimed to streak harmlessly past Yuuya's ear, vaporizing a piece of rubble behind him.
"See? You wouldn't dare aim for center mass. You're only good at scaring small-time thugs," Yuuya teased.
"Whatever! What happened that day won't just be brushed under the rug! Since you're also a Level 5, let's duel right now!" Mikoto demanded, clenching her fist arrogantly.
'This guy is the worst! He kissed my cheek that day, but now he's acting like nothing happened while mocking me. I have to beat this scumbag to a pulp!'
"I'd love to fight you—mostly just to take advantage of you during the grapple—but the current situation doesn't really allow it," Yuuya said with a shrug.
"How can you say such shameless things with such confidence?!"
Mikoto stared wide-eyed at him. He openly admitted he wanted to grope her! A massive spark flew from her bangs. Her fingers twitched irregularly, pushed to the absolute limit of her patience.
"You really are human trash! I'm going to fry you into—"
WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO!
Just as Mikoto was about to unleash a high-voltage lightning strike at Yuuya, the piercing wail of sirens echoed across the crater. A large number of heavy footsteps approached rapidly. Dozens of **Anti-Skill** officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles poured into the ruins, surrounding them on all sides.
Mikoto's expression froze. She slowly turned her head and found herself completely surrounded by heavily armed tactical units. Beads of nervous sweat immediately formed on her forehead.
'Oh dear...'
"Freeze! Do not move, or we will open fire!" an officer shouted, pointing his weapon directly at Mikoto.
The menacing clack-clack of assault rifles being cocked echoed across the rubble as dozens of dark barrels aimed squarely at Yuuya, Gunha, and Mikoto.
"W-Wait a minute! I have nothing to do with this!" Mikoto panicked, waving her hands defensively.
BANG!
"I said don't move!" a terrified officer roared, firing a warning shot into the dirt right at Mikoto's feet.
Mikoto was instantly startled, her fight-or-flight response kicking in. Arcs of high-voltage electricity involuntarily flared from her body in self-defense. Seeing the sudden display of power, every single gun barrel instantly tracked and locked onto her.
"..."
Mikoto froze. 'This has absolutely nothing to do with me! Why are you all aiming at me?!'
"All of you must come with us for investigation and detention," Yomikawa Aiho said as she stepped out from the formation, her baton in hand.
"Investigation... detention?! Wait, there's a huge misunderstanding here!" Mikoto panicked. Her presence at the epicenter with her electricity flaring made her look entirely guilty.
"You can explain everything down at the station," Yomikawa said sternly, pulling out three pairs of heavy, Esper-rated handcuffs.
"Okay..." Mikoto said dryly, her shoulders slumping in total defeat.
"Pfft—" Yuuya couldn't help but laugh out loud at her misery.
A huge popping-vein mark throbbed on Mikoto's forehead. She glared at him as she was cuffed. 'It's all this bastard's fault!'
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