Chapter 9: Mage and Esper

(A/N): In the previous chapter I thought the first name of Misaka Mikoto was Misaka so my bad, for now, I'll keep Misaka as her family name while I change Mikoto to make a new name that suits our MC, if there are any suggestions for a name, you can write it and enjoy. ... The bustling road in front of the station buzzed with the energy of high school students, for it was the day of entrance ceremonies across all schools. Amidst the throngs of people, the corner near the grand department stores was an especially vibrant and lively hub. "Hey, Hey, look over there! Isn't that the distinctive uniform of Tokiwadai Middle School?" "Oh, you're right! What could bring someone like her to this place?" "Who knows, but goodness, she is really beautiful. Just as one would expect from a student of Tokiwadai." As Misaka-10000 continued along her path, she couldn't help but overhear the hushed conversation behind her. "Right! Wonder if her hair color is natural." "Don't they have strict rules in Tokiwadai regarding such things? It should be natural, I think." "Hey, you two, stop talking behind people's backs. What if she heard you?" "Well, we're not talking trash about her or anything." "Right!" "Ugh, you girls really-" "..." Misaka-10000, aware of the murmurs surrounding her, chose to ignore the gossip. She had grown accustomed to such whispers over time, though somehow she found a strange enjoyment in it. (Just when I thought I had finally found teammates, they both vanished without a trace.) Letting out a weary sigh, she lowered her head, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. After going to the teacher's room as instructed to find Aisa, Misaka discovered that she had already left. Hoping to run into her, She made her way toward the train station, a popular gathering spot for students after school. As she strolled along, Her's gaze wandered, hopeful to catch sight of either Aisa or Kazakiri. However, neither of them graced her vision since their last encounter. (Should I ask the others in the network? Maybe they have come across both of them by any chance.) ... "...A mage?" A figure standing ten meters away suddenly came to a halt. She neither moved nor caused a commotion; she simply stood there, her eyes fixed on Misaka. The woman had an unusual appearance, with a foreign air about her. One could describe her as a gothic lolita—she was dressed in a long black dress adorned with white lace and ribbons. Anything worn by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl would look good. However, despite her long blonde hair, her skin appeared weathered and frail. (I should strike as the chance in the sight, It might be advantageous for my plan. But what is a Mage doing here?) For the corners of her mouth. Her face was like a steel mask, but her lips began to stretch across it, thinly, long, and silently, into a smile. ...and suddenly, the ground just behind her exploded violently. In an instant, everyone around scrambled into nearby buildings, screaming and shouting. University students and teachers who were driving at the time immediately stopped their cars and hurried indoors. That was to be expected, as a giant arm loomed behind the foreign woman. Now, only the woman and Misaka remained in the area, though Misaka seemed oblivious to both the woman and the recent events. (They didn't see either of them, but at least the remaining clones in the city are searching for them for me. That will save me so much time--hmmm?) Noticing the sudden lack of people around her, Misaka looked around, trying to comprehend the sudden disappearance of chaos. "...!" Only for her attention to be abruptly drawn to a massive hand hurtling toward her. With precise accuracy, the hand struck its target, propelling Misaka through the air and sending her crashing forcefully into the nearby shop building, colliding harshly with its cold wall. "A mage without any protection spells? Well, that was to be expected from a mage who doesn't conceal their presence,--hmmm?" Her gasp of surprise escaped her lips as her eyes fixated on the giant hand, specifically the spot where it had made contact with the girl. To her astonishment, there was a substantial crack in the hand. "Did I hit a human being?" she questioned in disbelief. The durability of her magic golem was formidable, designed to withstand even blows against steel without leaving a mark, let alone a human body with flesh and bones. "...The magic flow disappears! Did she die? No... What is the" Her eyes shifted to where the girl had been sent moments ago, expecting to see a lifeless body amidst the dust and debris. However, to her surprise, as the dust settled and cleared, she could see the girl standing unharmed. There was a small trickle of blood on her head, indicating a minor injury, but there were no visible wounds on her body. The girl's eyes locked with hers, devoid of any trace of life. They were the eyes of someone ready to strike for the kill. On the other hand. Misaka's mind struggled to process what had just transpired. She glanced down at herself and noticed that her clothing was in disarray, torn and dirty from the impact. Despite the state of her clothes, her expression remained unchanged, as if she was completely unfazed by the damage. (Why am I being attacked? Did someone mistake me for someone else? Did Sissy make someone hold a grudge against her?) She looked back at the woman and noticed her hand pinned, holding something resembling white chalk. The woman was using it to draw symbols on the road. These symbols weren't like any scientific symbols she had ever seen. They appeared to be occult or magical. (She might be controlling her ability using some kind of pattern for self-suggestion, similar to compressed memory in a cell phone.) In an instant, an electric crackle filled the air as an electric field manifested around Misaka. (she can use magic without a flow? No, that's not magic.) Misaka's body leaned forward as she prepared to launch herself forward. On the other side, the woman swung the chalk into the air in an arc, and the giant arm clenched its five fingers into a fist. And in the next moment, the two fists met mid-air with an explosive force. The impact was so intense that the air cracked and a shockwave rippled outward. And once again, Misaks was sent flying toward the solid wall, even faster than the first time. (An esper with the ability to use magic! It's impossible. Did they succeed in creating one? No, wait, I shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly.) As the dust settled, Missks stood once again, blood splattered across her body, but not a single wound could be seen. The foreign woman's gaze shifted to the crumbling golem hand beside her. It was on the verge of collapsing, unable to withstand another impact. She looked back at the girl. (Did I mistake a mana reaction for a spell flow? Every living being had mana in its body, so that should be the case. But... what if it wasn't... If the Crunch knew about her existence, there would be a war to obtain her.) "...Do not move, Judgment is here!" "..." Not long after, a voice could be heard from behind. The woman with the wild blonde hair didn't show much reaction to the new voice. (What should I do? Should I capture her? But that would change the course of my original plan... Should I just ignore the whole thing and focus on the matter at hand... What to do...") After five seconds, the woman finally turned around to face the owner of the new voice. She came across a sight of a girl, shorter than your average female middle school student, and she wore her brown hair in twintails. She was best described as cute rather than pretty. She was fully dressed in Tokiwadai Middle School's summer uniform, but she had a brassard on her right arm. The armband had the word "Judgment" written on it. Her name was Shirai Kuroko. (Even for me, I don't think I would win this battle... Let's retreat for now and continue with my original plan.) "I said..." Kuroko was about to repeat what she said but stopped as a tornado of dust suddenly appeared from the unknown. She raised her hand to protect her eyes from the dust, and as the tornado vanished, she opened her eyes to find that the woman was nowhere to be seen. The sudden disappearance of the woman caught Misaka and the Judgment member off guard. Kuroko looked around, searching for any sign of her presence, but she had vanished without a trace. "What just happened?" Misaka on the other hand remained silent, her mind racing to make sense of the situation. It was clear that the woman possessed extraordinary ability. But her focus soon shifted to something else as she looked at her right arm, blood staining from it. (With a speed of 150 m/s and an acceleration of 0.1 seconds... the strength behind that punch was 450,000 kilogram meters squared per second squared... equivalent to the energy released by a small explosion or 900 times the power behind an Elite professional boxer. But it's still only about half the power of a normal punch from the seventh-ranked esper in the city... I'm still so weak.) "O-Onee-sama! Is that you!" "hmm?" Misaka turned her head towards the voice calling out to her. Standing a few meters away was a girl with twintails, dressed in a similar Tokiwadai uniform. (A friend of Sissy, perhaps?) Kuroko rushed towards Misaka with a worried expression on her face. "Onee-sama, are you alright? What happened?" She touched Misa's bleeding arm and head, or at least she thought they were bleeding. (There are no wounds anywhere. Where did this blood come from then?) "Misaka is fine, don't worry. This blood isn't Misaka's, says Misaka as she tried to reassurance her friend" "What's with your way of talking, Onee-sama, and why are you wearing a wig?" the girl questioned. "Oh... umm, Misaka received an invitation to participate in a play, and Misaka is trying to stay in character by mimicking the way the character in the show talks, says Misaka as she explains not attempting to hide anything." "So the blood?" "The role Misaka playing is in a horror movie, so it's not real blood, clarifies Misaka." "I see... But whether it's a show or not, to dare and put something dirty on Onee-sama, I'll have to deal with those bastards later," "...So who was that? Someone related to Judgment? asks misaka curiously" "Y-yes, that's correct. She seemed to be the illegal intruder, but...Oh, Onee-sama!" Then she lunged toward Misaka as if her legs had given out. "???" Not knowing how to react, Misaka gently stroked Shirai's head, trying to calm her down. But as she did, she felt a chill run down her spine, a sensation she hadn't experienced since her first encounter with Accelerator. "...Heh heh heh. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. This close to Onee-sama, I have full access to her cleavage... hehe. Heheheheh!!" "...!!" Shirai wrapped her hands around Misaka's back, locking her in, and started rubbing her cheek all over her onee-sama's chest. "Um... Could you please let go of Misaka..." "Heh heh heh. Onee-sama's sweat... heh heh heh. It smells so good~~" (She's dangerous!!!!) And in an instant, without Misaka even realizing it, her body reacted on its own, striking the little girl with enough electric power to make her fall to the ground unconscious. Part 2: "It would be 85,500 yen (597.53$), ma'am. Do you prefer to pay with cash or credit?" "Credit, if possible, says Misaka as she hands over her credit card to the cashier." The transaction is completed smoothly, and Misaka leaves the store with her new clothes. Watching the back of the girl as she leaves the store, one of the employees speaks up, "What kind of situation did she get herself into?" "She's probably from Judgment. That would explain what happened to her. I got a good look at her, and there were no wounds on her body, so the blood doesn't belong to her." "Even if she's from Judgment, she's so young. Is it okay to let her go through something like that?" "You have to know when to mind your own business. She's an esper, and we're just normal humans. We live in completely different worlds." "..." ... Finding a nearby inn, Misaka rented a room for one night. She needed a place to wash off the grime and blood from the fight and gather her thoughts. Her dorm was about a 30-minute walk from the station, but she was too lazy to go all the way there. Although, she knew she could reach it in just 2 minutes if she used her super speed. As she washed away the remnants of the day, Misaka changed into the new clothes she had just bought: a simple black t-shirt with a Gekota image on it and a pair of jeans. Her torn uniform had been handed over to a special tailor for repairs. With a towel wrapped around her head, She sat on the edge of the bed, lost in her thoughts. (Dealing with that strange woman wastes so much of my time, and now my plans have fallen apart... in any case, It seems like I've been fooled by those two... I could understand Aisa not being interested in joining, but Kazakiri seemed like a kind girl... hmmm, What's that sound?) Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. (Could it be room service?) Misaka cautiously approached the door and peered through the peephole. Her eyes widened immediately. She hurriedly opened the door, and in the next moment, she locked eyes with a familiar girl—the same girl she had been looking for the whole day. This time, she wasn't dressed in her shrine maiden uniform but the Toarukōkō High School girls' uniform. "We meet again, sorry if i was late, i had to take the bus as the train station stopped for maintenance" "Aisa...?" "Yes that's me, is there a problem?" "No, there's no problem..." Aisa entered the room, glancing around with curiosity. The two girls sat down, facing each other. "How did you know Misaka was here? asks Misaka curiously" "Magic, and because I saw your fight at the train station. After everything settled down, I simply followed you." "...Anyway, now that you're here, let's discuss how things will go from now on. We currently have three members, the 3rd one is not here right now though, confirmes Misaka " "I see, I'm listening," Aisa replied, holding a notebook and pen, ready to take notes. "Misaka is planning to form a team of five members, and each member will have a specific task to focus on. If you're unsure of what task you're capable of, Misaka will help you figure it out. The missions we accept will depend on several conditions: the reward, the risk involved, the type of work if it's dirty or not, and so on," Misaka explained. "I understand," Aisa nodded, jotting down the information in her notebook. "We will divide the rewards according to each member's contribution to the task. Those who contribute directly will receive 35% of the reward, and the remaining amount will be divided among the other members who contribute," Misaka added. "I see, I see," Aisa noted in her notebook, then raised her gaze to Misaka. "I have a question if that's possible," "Of course, ask Misaka anything," "Will we accept missions from the two sides, right?" "Two sides?..." Misaka tilted her head in confusion. "Mages and espers. If that's the case, I think we should consider the dynamics between those two" "Huh...Umm Huh?!" "The relationship between the magic and science worlds is strained, so if we are involved with both sides, we have to remain neutral so we don't make unnecessary enemies, especially with churches. We should also gather information about what's happening on both sides so we can make informed decisions about which missions to accept or not. That's why we'll need a member with extensive knowledge about the ongoing events between the two sides and the ability to find suitable missions for our team without risking becoming enemies of either side." (She takes her Chuunibyou to another level... Wait, mage and magic... What if that wasn't just a simple Chuunibyou imagination and she's speaking the truth...) "I hope my words will be taken into consideration," Aisa said. "Say..." "Hmmm?" "You've been involved with the magic side quite a bit, right? asks misaka" "I am a mage, so of course I have, although it hasn't been a pleasant experience..." "...Well --hmm?" Misaka was about to ask further about the Magic side, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Exchanging a glance with Aisa, she hesitated for a moment, wondering who could be at the door. She quickly moved towards it and cautiously opened it, this time skipping the peephole check. "Hmm?" "Hello and nice to meet ya!" Her gaze fell upon a boy with dyed blonde hair, sporting sunglasses and a gold chain around his neck. He was wearing shorts and a green shirt with white floral patterns, reminiscent of stereotypical Hawaiian shirts. "Hmm, who? asks Mikasa, observing the guy's questionable bad clothing style." "Bad! Oh, come on, lady, don't be mean like that. You're hurting my glass heart." Misaka remained silent, tilting her head to one side, waiting for him to introduce himself. "Ah, right, introductions! The name's Tsuchimikado Motoharu, I heard that you're forming a team of espers, right? Well, I'm here to offer my services," the boy said, flashing a mischievous grin. Misaka's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion as she turned her gaze towards Aisa, who nodded subtly, indicating that they should at least hear him out. (Well, another weirdo character to add to the team, I suppose. I wonder what Kazakiri is doing right now.)