August 31, 12:12 PM.
Lunchtime.
Maybe it was because he already had a hotdog that Kamijou didn't feel that hungry. But he just remembered that Index was left alone in the student dorms. The kitchen had some food, like bread, that didn't need to be cooked before being eaten, so she shouldn't starve. But knowing Index, she would probably not do anything and just wait for Kamijou to get back.
"Alright, so the act stops here. To repay you, I'll treat you to something. What do you want to eat?"
"You still want to eat? No, thanks, I'm not that hungry."
"It's to repay you, so just accept it already. Ah, the extra-large sized 'hell's fried rice' that's free if you can finish it in an hour! Do you want to try?"
"You're just messing with me now, aren't you?"
As it was now time for food, many students came out looking for a place to eat, and the place started to get bustling.
Kamijou followed Mikoto in the crowd, being careful not to lose her, and said, "Wait, if we end the act now, how are you going to deal with Unabara?"
"I'll handle that myself. I might get in some trouble with the director, but… Forget it, that's my problem."
Mikoto's tone seemed to show that she was resigned to whatever would come after that. Kamijou decided not to press the issue any further.
The two of them went to various places looking for a place to eat lunch, but all the restaurants were full. In the end, the two decided to buy some cheap hamburgers and just eat them outside. But even with this compromise, all the fast food retailers had long queues; it looked like they would be lining up for a while.
"I'll go stand in the queue, you just go stay somewhere for a while. I'll decide what to eat; there's no problem, right?"
"Ah? We can just line up together, right?"
"Don't worry. I'm the one that dragged you into this, so I should be doing some of the more boring stuff."
After that, Mikoto went off and joined the queue. Maybe it was because this shop was exceptionally popular that many more came soon afterward, and Mikoto disappeared into the crowd.
If he tried to force his way into the crowd to join Mikoto, it would probably be rude to the others around them, so Kamijou gave up on trying to go in and stayed outside by himself.
(Uu, in the direct sunlight of summer, it's probably worse out here than inside. Ahh, come to think of it, what am I going to do about my summer homework?)
Kamijou looked up and stared at the sun with an expression like a slowly drying potted plant. At this time, a familiar face showed up next to him.
Unabara Mitsuki.
"Eh? What are you doing here? And by yourself? Did you finish what you two were doing already?"
"Hmm? Ah, Misaka's in there." Kamijou pointed inside. "Do you want to go and talk to her? She should be calm enough now to be able to talk to you."
"No, don't bother; just then, she still seemed unhappy."
Unabara said that with a troubled look on his face.