I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

The sky of the Minazuki month was a clear, vivid blue, though it carried a hint of summer's heat.

In such weather, a girl dressed in a long-sleeved black blouse and skirt stood out among the crowd.

She sat quietly on a bench near the musical fountain, exuding a refined and elegant demeanor. Orange stray cats curled up at her feet, while a field of vibrant lavender flowers bloomed behind her.

The girl appeared gentle and composed, her delicate skin so fair it seemed almost translucent. Her soft pink lips curved upward slightly as she watched the playful cats, but her smile carried a tinge of melancholy.

She sat there silently, as though waiting for someone.

Kurumi had arrived almost an hour early. As the Spirit of Time, she was scrupulously punctual.

She had agreed to meet Misaka Mikoto at 1:00 p.m. near the park adjacent to the School Garden. Checking the time, it seemed the appointed hour was drawing near.

Tilting her head slightly, Kurumi gazed toward a distant alley. A faint rumble—reminiscent of thunder—echoed from within.

Roughly fifteen minutes earlier...

"I'll be on time." The rhythmic ping of a new email signaled the arrival of a message from Tokisaki-senpai.

Slipping her Gekota-decorated phone into her bag, Misaka Mikoto unzipped the large Gekota plushie pillow she carried, retrieving her prized pale-pink lip balm.

Tokiwadai Middle School's rules prohibited makeup, so Misaka had to rely on subtle enhancements, such as lightly tinted lip balm, to maintain an air of "ladylike courtesy."

Pressing her lips together, she carefully applied the balm. After a moment of hesitation, she reached back into the plushie and pulled out a small bottle of perfume.

Using perfume, however, was risky. It could easily be detected by the dorm supervisor.

Even as Tokiwadai's Ace, Misaka wasn't immune to the consequences of breaking the rules.

In the mirror, her tea-colored eyes flickered with an unusual brightness. She paused, gently rubbing her lips, puzzled.

Am I... being weird?

Why did I suddenly invite Kurumi-senpai? On a Monday, no less, when the latest issue of Mystery x Mystery Detective just dropped. I should've gone to Green Mart to read it.

"Oh my, what do we have here? Our dear Ace looks like she's preparing for a date," teased a gentle, almost Yamato Nadeshiko-like voice.

Misaka flinched, then turned around to complain, "Yukiji-senpai... you startled me!"

Tsunoda Yukiji, a third-year at Tokiwadai and Misaka's current roommate, was one of the few people in the school who treated her with normalcy.

"Oh, Misaka-san. You're only a second-year~ You need to be careful, you know." Yukiji leaned against the back of Misaka's chair, her hands raised with two fingers lightly tapping together in a suggestive manner.

"I'm just meeting a senior from Nagatenjouki Academy!!!" Misaka protested, pouting slightly before hurrying away.

"What an impatient child," Yukiji murmured, stretching lazily. Her elegant figure was fully displayed as she carefully packed away Misaka's forgotten compact and lip balm.

"Well... there'll be more opportunities to see her again."

That little first-year troublemaker really was a handful. As expected, twin-tails looked better in black.

Yukiji had already decided it was time to request a new dorm assignment.

Misaka slung her bag over one shoulder, gripping her ID card in her right hand as she swiped it to pass through the gates.

Unlike the standard Tokiwadai posture of carrying one's bag neatly in both hands in front of one's skirt, Misaka's stance was far more casual, resembling the main character of a shonen manga.

Another thing that set her apart—Misaka wasn't fond of taking the slow-moving buses.

According to her, they weren't faster than her running at full speed, and watching them crawl along was frustrating.

Under the blazing afternoon sun, Misaka had only walked a few hundred meters before sweat began to bead on her forehead.

At this point, she had already strayed a bit from the School Garden's bus stop.

After a moment of consideration, Misaka turned and slipped into a side alley.

She often visited these alleys for entertainment, finding delinquents to take down when she was bored. But now wasn't the time for such diversions.

Besides, with the sun blazing overhead, the delinquents were probably taking a break, too.

"Hey~~ Sorry to interrupt," came a drawling laugh as four or five delinquents with their hands in their pockets appeared in front of Misaka Mikoto.

"Don't worry, stay calm, and we won't cause any trouble," said Ryumou Bin, a spiky-haired delinquent, flashing a cocky grin. "I'm a Level 2 Electromaster, you know. I'll make it... electrifying for you."

"Hey, I'm not into picking on underdeveloped brats like this," grumbled another rough-looking delinquent, nudging his buddy with his shoulder. "Let's just grab some cash and get out of here."

Sizzle—

Blue and white sparks of electricity crackled at Misaka's tea-colored bangs.

For some reason, she felt an overwhelming urge... to beat these guys to a pulp.

"Yeah, boss, this chick's got nothing in the chest or the rear department. But she's dressed decently, so she's gotta have some cash," chimed in another delinquent in a green jacket.

"Though, now that you mention it... her clothes look kinda familiar. Weird."

Misaka lowered her head, taking a deep breath. "Calm down... you need to calm down."

"Tokisaki-senpai is still waiting for you."

"Ah-ha, found you, found you!"

At that moment, a black-haired, spiky-headed boy stepped between the delinquents and Misaka. "Oh wow, sorry about my friend here causing trouble for you guys," Kamijou Touma said with a grin, waving one hand dismissively.

"Hey, you shouldn't just leave without a word, y'know?" He winked at Misaka, signaling something, then grabbed her hand as if to lead her away.

"Well, we'll be going now... haha!"

"Hey, what's with the one-man performance?" Misaka yanked her hand free and glared at him. "And... who the hell are you?"

Snap—

Kamijou felt like something inside him had snapped. "Hey! Can't you play along for just a second?!"

"You just ruined Kamijou-san's brilliant 'pretend we know each other so I can whisk you away' plan!"

"Why bother with such a dumb plan? I've got a senior waiting for me," Misaka retorted, crossing her arms and turning him down flat.

"Oi, kid. Got a problem with us or what?" Ryumou Bin snarled, shoving Kamijou's shoulder.

"Oh, absolutely, I've got a big problem," Kamijou replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he struck a mock-challenging pose. "Do you even realize who you're hitting on?"

"A kid who hasn't even gotten past her rebellious phase. And not just that—she's some scrawny little brat. And yet, you need a whole gang to pick on her?"

Sizzle—

As Kamijou taunted the delinquents, blue and white sparks danced more furiously at Misaka's fists. She slowly clenched them tighter.

"The person I can't stand the most..."

"...is you!!!"

Electric energy surged down the alley, crackling wildly as it turned everything into a blinding, sun-obliterating white.

"Hah—much better," Misaka muttered, shaking out her hands after effortlessly taking down the entire group of delinquents with a single strike.

Then she noticed something strange—the spiky-haired boy stood there unharmed, his right hand stretched forward. Even the scorched marks from the lightning seemed to part around him.

"Eh?!~~ You're an interesting one, aren't you?" Misaka said, her voice tinged with intrigue as a whip of azure electricity coiled into her hand, ready for round two.

But before she could act, a soft, seductive voice echoed from the far end of the alley.

"Misaka?"

"Tokisaki-senpai!?"

"Black-haired, teasing lady!?"

Both Misaka Mikoto and Kamijou Touma exclaimed simultaneously.

The moment Kamijou spotted Kurumi, the teasingly elegant senior, he noticed that the sparking middle school girl in front of him suddenly became awkward and shy. The electric whip in her hand dissipated, and she stood stiffly, her eyes no longer on him.

Kamijou sighed. His misfortune really was unparalleled. Taking the opportunity, he quietly slipped away.

"Tokisaki-senpai... what brings you here?" Misaka asked nervously, sneaking a glance at her watch.

There were still fifteen minutes until their agreed meeting time.

"Ah... while I was waiting over there, I heard some commotion coming from this direction, so I came to check it out," Kurumi said with a smile, stepping closer to Misaka and gently smoothing out her tea-colored bangs, ruffled by the earlier electric sparks.

"You were already here?" Misaka's anxiety spiked. Had she arrived too late?

"Oh, not at all. I just got here myself," Kurumi said, her smile soft but unmistakably knowing.

"Sorry... I'm late," Misaka mumbled. Despite Kurumi's reassurance, she realized the senior had likely been waiting for some time.

"No, no... haha. Let's just go have fun," Misaka said, scratching the back of her head and laughing awkwardly, trying to brush it off.

"Mm."

Strange... I'm still fifteen minutes early, so why do I feel so guilty? Misaka wondered as they walked away, stepping over the charred remains of the delinquents sprawled across the alley.

Wait! I let that spiky-haired idiot escape! Misaka suddenly remembered. She glanced at Kurumi's elegant profile beside her and decided to let it go.

Forget it... I'll let him off this time.

But at that moment, she felt something warm and soft touch her hand.

Kurumi had reached out, gently holding her right hand.

Sizzle—

A faint blue and white spark curled upward. The thin fabric of Misaka's sweater and skirt clung tightly to her legs, the static electricity making her feel incredibly self-conscious about her barely developing figure.

But even more overwhelming was the hand holding hers.

"T-T-Tokisaki-senpai!" Misaka stammered, her tongue seemingly tangled as if she were a flustered cat.

"Hmm? Misaka, what's wrong?" Kurumi asked with a soft chuckle, tilting her head to look at her.

"N-nothing." It's just a normal handshake, Misaka reassured herself.

Girls often hold hands. I see it all the time at Tokiwadai. She tried to calm herself with this logic.

But deep down, a voice whispered:

No, it's not like this with Tokisaki-senpai...

"And please, just call me Kurumi," Kurumi said, her eyes narrowing playfully as she smiled.

"Okay! Kurumi-senpai!" Misaka blurted out, her tone overly enthusiastic.

Back when she was still just a Level 1 Esper...

There was no one to play with her. She spent her nights alone in the small room assigned to her in the research facility, toying with tiny electric sparks.

They looked like twinkling stars, reflections of light in the depths of a beautiful eye.

Even then, she used to think:

Sometimes, all a person needs is a warm hand to hold gently. It could feel like having the whole world.

Misaka tightened her grip on Kurumi's hand just a little more.

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