Tokiwadai Middle School. A private, prestigious girls' academy located in the Academy City of District 7, Academy City, its admission standards require an ability level of LV3 or higher and a wealthy family background; it is one of the five most prestigious schools in Academy City.
"Summer uniform, spring/autumn uniform, winter coat—the set is quite complete, and the fabric is top-tier. It's no wonder Tokiwadai has the confidence to require students to wear their uniforms even when they are out."
Misaka Misu looked at the full set of student uniforms sent over by Tokiwadai Middle School. Although she had wondered if wearing the uniform outside might be too attention-grabbing, given that the unarmed extremist groups in Academy City had been becoming increasingly rampant in recent years.
However, this thought vanished from her mind after only a few seconds, as she mused that those thugs could never harm her own daughter.
"I didn't expect that I could actually be rated as an Esper. But it's probably just a little bit higher than LV4, barely crossing the level threshold. Many people online are saying the same thing."
"Don't listen to those rumors on the internet; it's just pure jealousy. People like that exist everywhere, regardless of nationality or class. Even in the school we're about to attend, there will certainly be no shortage of such people."
13-year-old Mikoto recalled the scene when she went to the relevant Research Institute to test her abilities a while ago. The moment she learned she had been rated as an LV5, she was so shocked that she tilted her head back and stood there in a daze for quite a while.
In contrast, the results of Chinatsu's test at the Research Institute were completely within her expectations. The test results were still all question marks, with only her outstanding combat ability being visible to the naked eye.
As for a Gemstone Esper like Chinatsu, her treatment could be imagined. Once her Esper ranking was finalized, her treatment would likely be the same as Sogiita Gunha—occupying the lowest rank.
Meh~ It doesn't really matter anyway~
Chinatsu shrugged, indicating that she didn't care about this ranking at all. Laymen looking at that list would think both the number one and the number seven were amazing, but insiders would think otherwise.
Although it was currently May, the weather in Academy City was definitely hotter compared to other places. The two sisters, wearing their spring/autumn uniforms, walked on the road to report to Tokiwadai Middle School, panting from time to time.
"So hot~ Even though it's only May, can't they let us switch to the summer uniform a bit earlier? I really don't get it." Mikoto muttered helplessly while fanning herself with her hand.
Chinatsu, who was listening to this from the side, quietly turned her gaze toward the uniform skirt Mikoto was wearing.
As everyone knows, the second-year middle school version of Mikoto wears safety shorts under her skirt, and when facing a wild vending machine, she would kick it directly, instantly attracting the nearby security patrol robots.
Of course, that was all in her second year.
The current Mikoto is innocence personified, and those habits haven't been formed yet. As for who she learned these habits from, well, "speak of the devil and he shall appear." The senior she was supposed to meet only a month after enrollment had arrived on the scene early.
While Chinatsu was briefly distracted, Mikoto leisurely stopped in front of a vending machine. Thinking the road was still long and wanting to buy two bottles of water to quench her thirst, she decisively took out her phone.
"Hm... Huh?! You can't pay by card? What era is this vending machine from? Does Academy City actually have antiques like this?"
Mikoto looked at the vending machine, which had nowhere that looked like it could scan a code. Helpless, she had to take a 10,000-yen bill from her wallet and, thinking it would just be a way to get some change, inserted the money into the machine.
But this hope of turning sorrow into joy was instantly shattered by this vending machine. Cold sweat dripped down Mikoto's face as she frantically pressed the buttons on the machine.
"Wha... What's going on? No reaction at all? I even pressed the coin return, but there's still no response. What is wrong with this vending machine?"
Mikoto hurriedly pressed the buttons on the vending machine. Just as she was about to break down and turned to look at Chinatsu to seek her sister's help, a girl slowly walked over from another direction beside her.
This was a girl with the standard image of a tanned gyaru, perfectly embodying the definition of not wearing her clothes properly. Her twin tails swayed with the wind as she walked slowly toward Mikoto with a smile on her face.
"Hello~ Did it swallow your money?"
"Um... yeah. Who are you..."
Before Mikoto's stuttering words had faded, this tanned gyaru reached out and tapped Mikoto on the shoulder, signaling for her to make some space.
As the tanned gyaru found the right position and angle, the corner of her mouth curled up, and after rotating her body to build up momentum, she kicked the vending machine hard.
Bang!!!
A loud, booming sound erupted from the vending machine as several bottles of drinks dropped out. She used violent means to demonstrate a violent way to solve the problem to Mikoto.
"Hehe, this traditional method isn't bad, right?"
The tanned gyaru bent down, picked up the drinks from the ground, and then grinningly handed one of them to Mikoto.
Just then, Chinatsu also walked over. The tanned gyaru looked at the two, who couldn't be called identical but definitely wouldn't be distinguishable by anyone who wasn't an acquaintance, and immediately showed a look of shock.
"A clone Ability User?!"
"No... no, we are..."
"Pfft, haha, of course I know who you are. Aren't you little Chinatsu and little Mikoto? Although I can't tell which one is the older sister and which is the younger, you are the newly promoted Espers about to enroll. There shouldn't be a student at Tokiwadai who doesn't know you." The tanned gyaru said, grinning as she raised her hands to cross them behind her head.
Tokiwadai is a very special school. To outsiders, it appears to be a girls' middle school full of romantic colors where a bunch of young ladies live, but in reality, it is a battlefield filled with factional disputes fighting for the position of empress.
Although these factions would be swallowed up in the near future by the fifth-ranked mental-type Esper, Shokuhou Misaki, becoming the strongest faction in Tokiwadai's history.
The tanned gyaru before them was named Kaminosyukouji Ruri, a woman who was not in the three major factions but was still feared by them. Her arrogant style of dress meant that even the teachers couldn't control her.
"My name is too long, so I won't say it all. Just call me Ruri. Of course, if you want to be respectful, you can add'Senior' or'Senpai' after it; I'd be very happy."
Ruri pointed a finger at herself, introduced herself with a smile, and led the two sisters toward Tokiwadai. As they got closer to Tokiwadai, both of them could clearly feel the increase in gazes directed at them from the surroundings.
[They are that pair of Esper sisters.]