Railgunwanted to disappear, leaving the Teleporterand certain troublemakerin the infirmary, but much to her displeasure, Mental-Out almost comically followed her every step. This was obvious to her after just a few steps and she didn't even have time to get out the door. Although brow-head made a remark that she wanted to go to the toilet, the blonde first tilted her head to the side and then it somehow jolted her (excited her?), as if she had never experienced this kind of going to the toilet with a friend before. Misaka was not interested in any of Shokuhou's antics and quickly dropped any attempts at her own metaphors. She tried to make a deal with yellow-head, to stop following her. But the blonde argued with a businesslike smile whether she should pull out a list of times when she wasn't around and things automatically started to develop in an inappropriate direction. The brunette immediately countered with an argument that she wasn't sure if the list of times, when things started going wrong, from the moment when certain foxy one was around, would outweigh the rest.
The female doctor did make a remark about them resembling an old married couple, but was immediately overruled by a request not to force a fantasy about female presidents and the two of them. But when the woman in the white coat got a better look at the faint redhead, with a dewy face, she asked; (What happened?); The brunette just pointed to the blonde's chest, claiming that it was too close contact with something bigger that this, but the scene strongly resembled oversized serving of dango. [Trio of flavored rice dumplings on a skewer. Try colored treat. Based on used ingredients and frosting, it can be sweet or have "Surprise!" flavor.]
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Railgun, not wanting to linger any longer with unnecessary delay, hasty marched out of the infirmary at a fast pace, nearly running. She decided once again, that she would head to the local Judgment office once more and this time there would be no obstacle standing in her way. Therefore, she rushed to the given room by the shortest possible route. But at the moment when the brunette was entering/turning around (another corner into the next corridor); She saw a certain haw eyed black-haired woman in a business jacket/suit and eye-glasses standing there with someone. So Mikoto immediately pull a break, swung on hell, turning around and in a blink of eye, she was back behind the given corner.
Usually, it is the dormitory manager who appears before Mikoto and not the other way around.
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As the brunette pressed herself against the wall around the corner with an expression that she would never step into that hallway, she was about to set off to find another way to get to the judgment clubhouse. Except she hadn't taken a single step when she stopped herself, because something strange occurred to her. (Probably her big sister instincts got the better of her...) So she carefully peeked around the corner, to find out what was going on.
The Tokiwadai Iron Wall took it upon itself to admonish another unfortunate person who was guilty of breaking some rule.
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However, when Level-5 saw that the person who being criticized was one of her sisters, for bringing a black kitten to school, she immediately went from watching cautiously to staring with a stern gaze. Although it was hard to hear what was being said, it was abundantly clear that the younger brunette was in trouble. Therefore, it is not surprising that this got on the nerves of the older sister, who felt the urge to go on a rescue mission. However, she had to brace herself with her hands and especially her fingers against the corner in question, pressing on that edge, to not jump right into the action.
At one point, the hawk eyed woman, took the furry kitten roughly from Misaka's hands, holding it up by the neck fur. [This method of holding by the neck immobilizes the kitten. Its an evolution survival method. But it is not recommended to use it other than, by a cat mama to transport her kitten from den to den, because it can stress out the cat or even cause a trauma.]
The younger brunette panicked in an instant and vainly reached for the kitten from the spot. Bud Tokiwadai wall only lifted the creature even higher so that it was out of Misaka's hands.
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It was boiling in Railgun and she clenched her teeth. We could almost hear something crushing, (under her fingers).
But then a completely different Black-haired girl rushed into that scene from afar. From the opposite end of the corridor from where Mikoto was standing, Kongo Mitsuko rushed in urgently. In an emergency she yelped, asking what the woman was doing to the poor little thing. She steal-grabbed the furry thing from the woman's hand and gently pressed it to her own chest, in protective gesture like a guardian. The kitten came to life and, curled up in a ball, began to tremble with fear, looking timidly at the tallest person of the trio. When Aero-Hand exhaled, she completely ignored the dormitory manager hawkish gaze, as well as her question about what she thought she was doing. She went straight to criticizing the adult woman. Protecting the creature with one hand, she used the other one to, gesticulate strongly with her hand-fan. It sounded as if there was something more important that required the woman's attention than the little kitten.
This didn't last even a minute and the Tokiwadai iron wall remained speechless for a few seconds, as if she was thinking about something. She even looked away from the pair, using her move of correcting her eye-glasses, pushing them back on they place. With a lot of imagination, it could almost be said, that she have secretly peeked towards the corner where the older of the brown-haired girls was hiding. Only, not even a few seconds passed, before the woman in the suit acceded to the freshman's demands. So she make some note of admonition/earful, and authoritatively walked down the hallway that Kongo had rushed through, as if she were after dealing whit another offender or a case.
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Railgun, seeing the furry ball was returned to her sister's arms, retreated around the corner. Realizing that her heart was pounding, she leaned her back against the wall with her eyes closed. Sighing at the fact that not only Kuroko, but also she had trouble staying at low speeds and not get instant triggered to over-straining/exhausting herself, she folded her arms, trying to cool down. Her plan was disrupted the moment Kongo and Misaka came out from around the corner, as if they noticed her and come to meet her. Their greeting pulled her out of her thoughts. But what threw her off was the fact that in addition to her name, they also mentioned the name of a certain blonde. That's why Mikoto scare jumped a little when from the other side, a warm greeting response came from Shokuhou, who was standing just a step or two away from her in the corridor, as if she had been silently following the brunette the whole time. Despite the embarrassing drop of sweat on her cheek, Mental-Out, the honey-haired girl tried to look noble. Surprised, Mikoto almost barked a question at her, "Hey!!-- When did you manage to sneak on me?!"
Misaki, on the other hand, felt too embarrassed to get angry at her classmate. "I really don't like, how much effort you putting into your ability to ignore me. I was standing here for long enough to have an idea whats going on, just by observing your body language. You're really trying your best to filter out my presence, not only from your perception but from reality as well. Aren't you?" Number-Three make a quick rhetorical commentary, (Who do you think is responsible for that?), yet Number-Five put an insulted expression on her face. "Even though you refuse to admit it, I also, have a feelings of a girl. And you hurting them really bad." Because Railgun make a puzzled expression like, (What are you talking about?), Mental-Out blushed a little with embarrassment about her wasted attempt to reasoning with the half-asocial brute. "I'm going to assume, that you were too preoccupied with your own thoughts to pay any attention to your surroundings. Otherwise, I have to work with the hypothesis of whether you've really reached that legendary Expert level of ignorance ability? In that case, I'm starting to feel really sorry for Shirai."
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Kongo, who breathed a sigh of relief, retained a drop of sweat on her cheek. After regaining her composure and forcing a smile on her face, she decided to speak up to her second year friend. "That was seriously unbelievable, Misaka-san. That death-stare of yours was seriously something. It still gives me chills."
As the eldest of the brown-haired girls glanced at the black-haired girl in confusion (Huh??), black haired girl went silent.
So it was her sister with the kitten in her arms who explained the situation. "Misaka doesn't know the details, but she just learned some disturbing information a moment ago. Intel said that there is a dangerous beast on lose here, that could attack if 'The Schrodinger-dog'starts calling for help." She gently stroked the kitten in her arms, that meowed requested for more petting. "Since the dormitory madam saw the big sister at the corner of the hallway, she probably went looking for the beast in the opposite direction. Onee-sama, do you know more about it? Are you already on search for the beast? Misaka asks, worried about the safety of the little creature."
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Mikoto, as usual, was skeptical of certain claims and voiced her doubts. "Did someone really release a wild beast here? In a school full of girl espers? What nonsense is this?" She immediately looked at the honey-haired girl with a judging gaze, as if she expected a cougar/puma [Big black cat], squirrel, or something similar to jump at Misaki at any moment. Or with a lot of imagination, something will crawl out from that wavy mane, sit on Mental-Out head, not just not-fearing the blonde, but taking ownership of the honey human. Because as someone can expect, its a possibility that the Number-Five can lose a fight to a squirrel.
Mental-Out, unlike her current companion, understood what was going on, that's why she used her sweet voice. "We shall ignore for a moment, that its not just Academy city, but its any school that is compared to a zoo. Especially Tokiwadai, with a little bit of grace, mixed into it." She walked around Railgun, approaching the couple opposite #3 and turned to the level-5. "Dear Misaka Swan. The thing is, that the aforementioned beast on lose, threating to broke away from its society chains, rather than being released. It will be better, if I show you clearly, what these two messengers have in mind. Look at this and you will find the answer to your questions." The blonde pointed to the corner of the corridor where they were standing. More precisely, to the place of the dent that had fingerprints on it, as if someone had forcibly deformed the corner with a strong squeeze.
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As expected, the tsundere's eyes widened when she finally realized that the reference was about her. Suddenly, a flush of red filled her face, as she make a step back with (Wha~~at?!!), expression and body gesture. Embarrassed, she tried to avoid they gazes.
The blonde jokester was amused by the reaction, maintaining an almost mischievous smile of a fox. "It seems like someone is holding on to their big sister status too tightly. To the point of being overly protective of whateveris currently playing the role of your little sister." She giggled as the brunette in question hunched over in embarrassment.
Except Inoue thought out loud. "Remarkable. These marks on the wall don't resemble any specific beast Misaka would have encountered, but something that would be left by human fingers. What kind of creature are we talking about? Or is Misaki dono staying near big sister for her own safety, considering her unbroken history of defeats?" The blonde rolled her eyes with a wry smile, allowing herself to make a comment, that as sisters, their sense of humor was on the same poorly page. However, when the suggestion was made, (that it must be a mistake in the records), the honey-haired girl flinched. Her expression could be translated as: (How do they know about that??)
Dewy Kongo was starting to sense a dangerous tension between the two Level-Fives, so she very hastily changed the subject. "By the way, Inoue-san, you haven't told me the name of this little one yet."
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As expected, it somehow caught the attention of the girls present. Of course, Inoue didn't hesitate for a moment with her answer: "Misaka already said the name. It's Schredinger-dog."
Two or three seconds had to pass, before the trio standing around reacted in unison with a puzzled: "Huh?" Surely each of them remembered the well-known hypothesis of a certain Schrödinger and a hypothetical experiment with a certain fictitious cat. The example dealt with the issue, that unless we know a clear answer, in a certain state of affairs and statements, a given cat is both alive and dead at the same moment. This theory is consider as one of pillars as why Esper abilities are a scientific thing.
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Except Inoue mixed a dog into the mix, which she found funny and showed it with her almost emotionless laughter on a creepy smiling face. "Shredinger-dog. He, he, he. A dog, and yet a cat. He, he, he."
Although Mitsuko and Misaki's eyes widened, for Mikoto it was quite a fire match for her temperament, that made her snap at her sister. "So that's the cat's name??!! That name should be banned!! Couldn't you have chosen something else for him?!!"
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"Interesting, Onee-sama saying similar things to Kamijou Touma. Is this behavior a sign of the declared adult sibling perk, that the older sister chosed for her character profile?" The younger brunette demanded an answer with almost unprecedented enthusiasm. However, her slight enthusiasm faded when she realized something. "Not that Misaka has a greater chance of choosing her own perk for her character profile card, she adds with a sigh." As she indicated, she sighed.
The older sister almost turned sour at the gammer's jargon/slang/talk. Especially when his name was included in the mix, and she suddenly had a premonition, that it would be better not to speculate on the details. Not to discuss what had just been presented to her.
However, Misaki became noticeably more attentive upon hearing the name. "I wonder, what else did he say about our dear/darling here?"
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As Inoue looked back at the blonde, allowing herself a second or two of thought or hesitation as she held the kitten carefully in her arms. "He also said I should name him 'later'."
Now Shokuhou had also soured, also abandoning her intention of asking more, adding in a low voice that of course this was something he would say.
Of course, Railgun noticed that the blonde was expecting a differentanswer. Not directed at the kitten, but at anothercharacter in this conversation. Except this time she decided not to react to it.
However, that was not the case for the black-haired girl who seemed more than confused. "Eh, I-- Inoue san? Are you telling me, that one of the possible names for the kitten is later? Like its not like, think about it, and pick a proper name later? It is a later?" Because the little sister make an amused smile, Mitsuko looked at the Level-5 couple but when they felt her gaze, they just averted their own to the side. But even so, she did not give up hope yet. "If- if I may suggest-- Wouldn't it be better to choose a name that would be more personal? Like Kuro?" [black] This did gain the sister's attention but it did not gain the upper hand in this conversation at all.
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"Choose a name based on color reference?... Hmm..." Inoue lifted the kitten in her arms to look at its face and the little one meowed in greeting. "How about a Carbosorb? As Carbotox, refer to Activated carbon medicine pills, called living charcoal?Misaka suggests deftly, referring to the Kitten fur color." The furry ball meowed again and it didn't sound agreeable at all.
This time, Kongo also lost her perfect expression as a young lady due to the sourness. "Inoue san, you really don't have a talent for naming, do you?"
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Except that the Emo brunette apparently didn't get the meaning or was very skilled at making a suitably inappropriate comparison. "What is Mitsuko-san talking about? Isn't she comparing Misaka's giving a name ability, to big sister too low ability to choose a suitable gift for someone? Or to Misaki-dono too low ability to casually address someone?" A random passerby could almost testify that he literally heard the two Level-five girls groan from the invisible blow that had struck them. "Misaka does what she can, when her character profile was predefined for her. But with both archetypes, present here as model, it is obvious that they didn't invest skills points in these abilities and overdid their own build. Misaka indeed from begging try to choose a flashy name for the kitten. Except that it opposed with the reminder that it was too flashy for someone of such small dimensions." She looked at the furry one again and he meowed at meowed in response.
The impossible became a reality, and the three girls ran out of words in their discussion with Inoue.
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Yet another figure quickly took advantage of this vacuum and approached the unsuspecting quartet. This figure was none other than the elderly teacher of Tokiwadai with a businesslike expression. An attentive eye would not have missed that she addressed them in a manner as if she were going to settle the score between the troublemakers. However, her hint of reprimand vanished when she realize that is Mental-Out who is among the four. She covered her almost imperceptible surprise with an approving hmm-nod. She very quickly moved on to expressing her appreciation that she was surprised, that the girls had put their different opinions aside and actually undertaken to preserve the existence of the school for future generations. Of course, the teacher was aware, that she was exaggerating even without the obvious expressions on the faces of (some) individual girls. Before they could defend themselves, she admitted with amusement that she was just passing by. But since she had already stopped by them, she wanted to ask them something. Especially since it's so publicized, she doesn't want the school's prestige to suffer from an inappropriate selection choice. In fact, the principal of they school wanted to know, what the school should give the newlyweds as a gift for they very important life-threshold event.
It was quite hard for Mikoto, not to directly bark at the elderly woman, who was watching the girl's reactions with a detective's eye, when she replied: "That's not true and no one got married! How many times I shall reread it?"
However, when Mikoto looked at the blonde, with an expression of (Do something about it!), Misaki folded her arms as if insulted. "Strange. Unbelievable, so many people have decided to pull rabbit tricks out of their hats in the last few days. But, how come?, that the thorny jokes only targeting me, as if I was some fox in a henhouse? That simply came with the imposition of a lazy explanation for events that are just swept under the rug with the excuse that it's my fault?"
When Inoue pointed out that it's obvious to start with elements that are almost contractually obligated to be part of almost every major experiment, question, or problem... The surrounding group fell silent.
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Fortunately for everyone, a froggy croaking sound came from Gekota's phone and Mikoto immediately reached for it as a convenient distraction. To her surprise, Uiharu was texting her about calling up a meeting at a certain family restaurant. It was like a slap in the face. Railgun quickly remembered, that instead of relying on Kuroko to dig something up, she should have immediately realized that the source of any reliable information hunt was Uhiharu himself. Even Mikoto's intention to dig up some information on her own, when everyone around her was on guard or too slippery to catch, turned out to be a game of hide and seek. The answers slipped through her fingers as if it were fate or someone's intention. She should have turned her attention to the one, who had escaped her attention until now even though he had been mentioned a few times here and there.
This petite hacker is the goalkeeper for Anti-Skill organizationwho sometimes manages their firewall. So it's clear that trying to keep one of the key figures from Judgment in the dark would be more harmful than helpful. Especially when the network is at risk and there's been talk of a rollback. Although in this case, you could imagine that the Kazari would have purposefully omitted it for security reasons, when she (in some sense) already takes care of Tokiwadai manner. It made sense to redirect the city's scientific capabilities to the cause, like giving the little hacker a certain temporal authority. But even so, Uiharu's curiosity was something not to be underestimated, so she must have had plenty of opportunities to dig into something. And now she sent a message that seemed to say, that she had found something worthwhile. (Or Mikoto overthink and its a sweets shop.)
Misaka was so taken aback by this realization, that even Shokuhou leaned over to look over Mikoto shoulder with undisguised interest, to see what caught her partner's attention. She immediately lit up when she read the message. "Sukiyaki Ushinobu? That's what you call opportune timing. I wonder if the choice of that place was a coincidence or a deliberate one. Either way, we already know where we're going to have lunch. And I'll tell you, it's the first sensible thing in this entire day. " Her comment woke the brunette from her thoughts, who scare jumped a little, which amused not only the blonde but also the teacher.
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Of course the tsundere tried to get away [not only verbally but also physically] by demanding personal space. But the fox, with a big smile, reminded to Number-Three that until the incident was resolved, she would be helpful, whether miss lone wolf liked it or not. However, she couldn't be helpful unless she was at hand. She argued that it was Misaka who requested it and agreed to the conditions from blonde. On the other hand, the brunette knew very well, that the big smile on Shokuhou had a hidden intention other than the traditional Japanese free meal. Their argument, to the present observers, three plus one, resembled a dance performance when one seemed to lead with a step away and the other followed with a step close. Coincidentally, the dancing couple that captivated the audience's attention, left the group behind.
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Of course, Mikoto hadn't forgotten about a certain loudmouthed lady who tried to reassure her that she would get the necessary information about the incident. That's why she went to get her. However, when the duo arrived at the infirmary saying that they were going to pick up Kuroko, they were surprised to be told that a certain lady in a blue uniform had already taken her away. Apparently, they were in a hurry and didn't want to leave the Teleporter idle, slacking in a bed. All it took was one sentence from the Anti-Skill woman with the black ponytail, and the redhead went without a single comment, when she was called to duty. Either way, Mikoto learned that the doctor had had enough of her comments being disrespected and had already escalated the matter regarding Shirai, to the school administration.
Shokuhou commented in a low voice that this coincidence stink of meticulous planning. Especially since a certain visitor, in the role of a detective was after them and Kuroko in particular, directly stating that he wanted to get answers from a certain flower person. Since both girls remembered Uiharu again, there was no need to linger with further arguments. To Railgun's moderate displeasure, she headed to an underground shopping mall in the seventh district together with Mental-Out, hanging with her.
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[Notes]
The weak body of Shokuhou is a repeated trope. Its clearly possible that she can get fatigue even from simple chores. Or a lost a fight to a kitten.
Tokiwadai director is a woman of mystery, who as gossips go, is newer present on school and communicate through various means, holograms include.