The second the challenge left her mouth, Misaka Mikoto suddenly snapped out of her rage and realized exactly what she had just agreed to. A sudden, ominous chill ran straight down her spine.
'Oh no... I let my temper get the better of me again!' Mikoto thought frantically. 'This guy is a total, rule-breaking monster in real life. What if he's an absolute monster at video games too?!'
"Let's go then. Let's head straight to the arcade," Yuuya said with a relaxed smile, gesturing forward.
'You've walked right into my trap, Misaka-san~' he thought to himself.
"Hmph! Keep acting all high and mighty for now. I'll make you beg for mercy on your knees before we're through," Mikoto grumbled unhappily, glaring at Yuuya's nonchalant attitude.
That easygoing, lazy posture clearly showed he didn't view her as a threat at all, which infuriated her to no end. What a despicable guy!
'Although this jerk is terrifyingly freakish in terms of Esper abilities, who's to say he isn't absolute garbage at arcade games?' Mikoto reasoned, trying to reassure herself. 'If I win this match, I'll use the Punishment Game to make him obey my commands for an entire day. I'll make him pay back every single instance of him bullying me, forcing him to properly repent!'
The mental image of this arrogant guy kneeling at her feet, tearfully begging for mercy from the great Misaka Mikoto, made her feel absolutely wonderful. A triumphant smirk briefly flashed across her face.
Shirai Kuroko covered her face with one hand, letting out a heavy, defeated sigh. "Seriously, Onee-sama... you don't possess the refined awareness expected of Tokiwadai's Ace at all. Your daily schedule consists entirely of playing violent arcade games or secretly standing in convenience stores to read manga. This is deeply damaging to your public image."
"What the hell are you talking about, Kuroko? Playing video games and reading manga are completely normal hobbies for a junior high school student! Do I look like some fragile, high-society noble lady with a natural affinity for classical art?"
Mikoto shot an impatient glare at her roommate for criticizing her lifestyle. "You simply have an overly romanticized view of what a prestigious school student should be."
"Let's go! Today, we completely dominate the arcade!"
Declaring her intentions in a bold, entirely unrestrained manner, Mikoto strode ahead happily, showing none of the aloof, delicate demeanor rumored of the Tokiwadai elite.
"Eh..." Saten Ruiko blinked rapidly, leaning over to whisper into Uiharu Kazari's ear. "She really doesn't look like the elegant, noble lady from the school rumors at all, don't you think?"
"Yes... she is completely different from the aloof, powerful, and unapproachable persona the student forums always portray her as," Uiharu agreed in a surprised whisper.
"That's simply the result of the media and public relations over-glorifying reality. It's no different from how celebrity PR agencies carefully construct a flawless persona for idols," Yuuya explained quietly with a laugh, walking alongside them.
Because Misaka Mikoto was one of the incredibly rare Level 5 Espers in Academy City who could be openly displayed to the public without any messy connection to the city's Dark Side, the Board of Directors put a massive amount of marketing effort into her public promotion. They had essentially turned the Railgun into the city's primary advertising figurehead.
However, as her public fame grew, so did the number of bizarre, scandalous rumors surrounding her—and ironically, it was precisely this mysterious contrast that fueled her massive, continued popularity among the student body. In Academy City, the public images of all Level 5s were meticulously managed by professionals. After all, the top-ranked Espers were far more recognizable and influential within the city limits than any mainstream media celebrities.
The group quickly arrived at a brightly lit District 7 arcade.
Aside from Index, who was completely baffled by the flashing lights of the game cabinets and simply followed Yuuya around while happily munching on a fresh strawberry crepe, both Uiharu and Saten immediately found rhythm games that caught their interest.
Eventually, Yuuya and Mikoto stopped in front of a classic, retro fighting game cabinet utilizing mechanical joysticks.
"This is officially my best game," Mikoto declared provocatively, slapping her palm against the control panel. "How about it? Do you actually dare to compete against me on my home turf?"
"Who's afraid of who?" Yuuya retorted defiantly, pulling out a handful of arcade tokens. "Just make sure you don't burst into tears later. If you lose and want to back out of the Punishment Game, I'll generously allow you to surrender."
"W-Who would ever back out?! A loss is a loss!" Mikoto suddenly mustered her courage, shouting back with a boyish intensity, completely oblivious to the fact that her voice lacked genuine confidence.
Catching Yuuya's deeply amused, confident expression, her heart rate began to skyrocket.
'This guy agreed way too quickly... could it be that he has some kind of foolproof, secret strategy?' she panicked internally. 'No, wait. In an old-school mechanical cabinet like this, cheating is impossible unless you use precise electromagnetic manipulation to hijack the internal circuits. And I already know his raw Electromaster voltage output isn't as strong as mine!'
When Mikoto had clashed with him previously, she had carefully analyzed the voltage and raw intensity of his current. She knew that although he was technically classified as a Level 5, his pure output as an Electromaster was definitely inferior to her own. The only reason he had won their previous fights was by relying on his absurd database of weird, copied abilities.
'But... what if I actually lose?'
A sudden wave of genuine fear washed over her. If she lost, what kind of humiliating order would he force her to execute?
'Could it be something...?'
Mikoto's mind immediately dredged up all her memories of this guy. Every single interaction consisted entirely of him teasing and bullying her—including their very first meeting, and that incredibly outrageous chest-pinching incident from yesterday at Tokyo Bay.
Her cheeks involuntarily flushed a brilliant crimson, and she swallowed hard, her confidence rapidly crumbling.
"What's the matter? Is Misaka-san getting scared before the match even starts? It's far too late to back down now~" Yuuya teased, smoothly dropping a token into the coin slot.
"Who's scared?! Just wait until I beat your character to a pulp and make you beg for mercy!" Mikoto immediately snapped back, putting on her fiercest, most aggressive expression to desperately hide her mounting anxiety.
"Hehe. Let's begin the first round then," Yuuya said, settling into his stool.
Watching her desperately try to mask her panic with an air of classic Tokiwadai arrogance was an absolute delight.
'Activate skill—Imperial Privilege.'
'Target Concept: International Gaming Master.'
Ping!
In a fraction of a microsecond, the skill took hold. A massive, complex library of fighting game frames, hit-box data, flawless combo strings, and peak professional mechanical reflexes instantly integrated into Yuuya's muscle memory.
ROUND 1... READY... GO!
Before even ten seconds had passed on the round timer, a loud, synthesized K.O. blasted from the cabinet speakers, signaling the definitive end of the match.
Mikoto's brown eyes widened to the size of saucers, staring at the screen in absolute, horrified disbelief. Her character had been flawlessly locked into a corner combo and decimated without landing a single blow.
"How is that possible?!" Mikoto instantly leaped up from her stool, pointing an accusing finger right at Yuuya's face in a fit of pure rage. "You used less than ten seconds! You cheated! You definitely hacked the machine!"
"Misaka-san, a loss is a loss. I didn't cheat or use any supernatural power to manipulate the code," Yuuya said with a lazy expression, his drooping eyes looking up at her calmly. "As a Level 5 Electromaster yourself, you should know that better than anyone."
Mikoto choked on her words. It was true. Her passive radar hadn't detected a single erratic electromagnetic wave or wireless signal coming from him. He hadn't touched the internal circuitry at all. It had been pure, terrifyingly precise manual execution.
"T-This round doesn't count! I wasn't fully ready yet!" Mikoto stammered, her face blushing furiously as she uncharacteristically resorted to a stubborn, spoiled excuse.
"Alright, alright. I'll generously give Misaka-san an extra thirty seconds to mentally prepare herself this time, so you won't accuse me of foul play again," Yuuya shrugged with amusement, dropping another token in.
For the second round, Mikoto focused with absolute, life-or-death intensity. She locked her eyes onto the screen, while simultaneously expanding her electromagnetic calculation grid to actively monitor every single electronic pulse inside the cabinet, ensuring Yuuya wasn't transmitting a single micron of hacking code.
Precisely thirty seconds later...
PERFECT! K.O.!
The screen flashed red, leaving Mikoto completely speechless. Cold sweat began pouring down her forehead in earnest.
This guy wasn't just a monster in a real fight—he was an absolute, literal god at video games.
'Oh no...' Mikoto realized in utter despair, her knees shaking as she looked at his smug grin. 'I walked right into his trap.'
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Give me powerstones.
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