I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

The cluster of red-bricked, crimson-roofed buildings stood imposingly before them, exuding the opulent Western beauty of the Baroque style—this was the School Garden.

It was a shared campus that belonged to five prestigious private girls' schools, including Tokiwadai Middle School.

If described in Uiharu Kazari's words, the place would be overflowing with an indescribable elegance, as if even the air carried a faint scent of roses.

The moment she stepped into the School Garden, Misaka Mikoto groaned and smacked her forehead.

Wait, weren't we supposed to go have fun somewhere else? How did she end up back at the School Garden?

After Kurumi had taken her hand, Misaka had drifted along absentmindedly, subconsciously returning to the campus.

"What's wrong, Misaka?"

"N-nothing." Misaka sighed lightly but noticed that Kurumi seemed quite interested in their surroundings.

Forget it... We'll just stay here and have fun.

The School Garden didn't have department stores or large shopping centers. Its most prominent structures were research institutions. For a while, Misaka couldn't think of where to take Kurumi.

"Kurumi-senpai, how about we go to 'Pasticceria Manicagni'?"

After much deliberation, that was all she could think of. "It's an authentic Italian cake shop, and their cheesecake is really good."

"Besides, they only have a branch here in the School Garden—nowhere else in Japan!"

"Sure," Kurumi replied with a serene and elegant smile.

Seeing that refined smile, Misaka bit her lip slightly.

"Kurumi-senpai, you can't just agree to everything. You must have somewhere you'd like to go too, right?"

"It's fine, Misaka. Wherever you want to go is fine with me."

"..."

The School Garden wasn't very large—barely two kilometers across.

Hand in hand, the two girls soon arrived at the charming Italian cake shop.

Deep inside, Misaka felt a strange sense of foreboding.

Monday... a cake shop...

What am I forgetting?

"Queen! You absolutely cannot eat anymore!"

"Ugh... Just one last bite! I'm begging you!"

"No, Queen! Do you want to cry on the scale again? You've already had all your sweets for this week!"

"Eh-eh-eh?! But today is only Monday!"

"Yes. Which means for the next six days, we'll be supervising you!"

The faint sounds of conversation drifted from inside the cake shop as Misaka pushed open the glass door.

Her tea-colored eyes collided with another pair of sparkling, star-like eyes straight out of a shoujo manga.

Zap—

The sound of a remote clicking filled the air. A sharp pain shot through Misaka's brain, and blue electric arcs crackled in the air around her.

Misaka stumbled back in pain, falling straight into Kurumi's arms.

Frowning, she finally remembered why she had been reluctant to come to this shop at this particular time.

"Shokuhou... Misaki..."

"As expected, my interference still doesn't work on you, Misaka-san." Shokuhou Misaki, admiring the white lace gloves on her hands, raised a smile.

"That electromagnetic barrier of yours is such a pain~"

The strongest esper in Academy City's mental category, ranked 5th among the Level 5s, Mental Out.

—Shokuhou Misaki.

Before Kurumi's eyes appeared a girl with dazzling honey-golden hair that shimmered like sunlight. Her features were strikingly delicate, with slender limbs and a full chest that made Kurumi feel almost insignificant in comparison.

A middle schooler like Misaka, but a stark contrast in physique.

She wore white stockings and lace gloves adorned with a spiderweb pattern, but the most eye-catching feature was her eyes—those shining, star-like eyes that looked as though they had come straight out of a shoujo manga.

"Ahaha... Don't be so angry..." Shokuhou Misaki's face quickly returned to that teasing smile. "That expression of yours is really terrifying, you know."

However, at that moment, Shokuhou Misaki's gaze shifted to the girl standing behind Misaka Mikoto.

Dressed completely in black—so much so that it almost resembled mourning attire—the girl had her long, smooth black hair tied into twin tails draped over her chest.

Shokuhou Misaki's eyes narrowed slightly. "Kikyō..."

"No... it's not her."

Noticing Shokuhou Misaki's stare, Misaka Mikoto wordlessly stepped in front of Kurumi, her brow furrowing as sparks of electricity crackled at her temple.

"You... Don't push it too far!"

"You're the one who barged into my territory! Did you come here just to see me make a fool of myself?" Shokuhou Misaki stood up, pressing her lace-gloved hands against the table.

Pi—

She pressed her remote again, shaping her fingers into a gun aimed at Misaka.

"Ugh..." Misaka's head throbbed painfully as thin, arcing bolts of electricity sparked around her. Just as she had finally stood upright after falling into Kurumi's arms, she winced again, bending slightly from the pain.

Inside the cake shop, Shokuhou Misaki's faction members, as well as the staff, stood up simultaneously, their eyes blank and lifeless.

Misaka glared at Shokuhou Misaki. "Your ability... is as despicable as ever, Shokuhou Misaki."

She glanced back nervously. For some reason, Misaka absolutely didn't want that big-chested girl to interfere with or pry into Kurumi's memories.

"I'm fine, Misaka," Kurumi said softly, appearing completely composed with a gentle smile on her face.

She continued, "Rather than me... it's her you should be worrying about."

"What?" Misaka turned to look at Shokuhou Misaki, only to see her curled up in pain in her seat. Her face had gone deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Kurumi-senpai!?" Misaka finally realized that perhaps Kurumi wasn't as simple as she appeared—just a graceful, refined young lady.

Is she a more powerful mental-type Esper? No... that shouldn't be possible.

Then what was it? Misaka didn't know. Perhaps Kurumi possessed something similar to her own electromagnetic barrier that protected her from mental Espers.

But... did such a device even exist? And if it did, what kind of high-ranking personnel would be entrusted with it?

"She just tried to peek into my memories and saw something she shouldn't have," Kurumi explained lightly.

What exactly did she see? Kurumi didn't know. Most likely, it was something manifested by the Avenger. Besides, her mind wasn't something so easily invaded.

"Kurumi-senpai..." Misaka's expression grew conflicted, her lips pressing tightly together as a hint of pleading entered her voice.

Though she and Shokuhou Misaki were always at odds, at the end of the day, they were still classmates... and honestly, Shokuhou hadn't done anything that bad this time.

"Oh my, little Misaka is so cute," Kurumi teased with a laugh. She squeezed Misaka's hand reassuringly, as if to calm her down.

Then, Kurumi stepped forward, walking alone toward Shokuhou Misaki. Sitting down beside her, Kurumi gently stroked Shokuhou's back and her soft golden hair before slipping a small, purple-colored pellet into her mouth.

The Globe of Radiance, a cure-all for abnormal conditions.

"There, there, swallow it. Everything will be fine." Having grown accustomed to caring for all sorts of "lolis," Kurumi's tone instinctively softened, as though she were coaxing a child.

As Kurumi approached Shokuhou Misaki, she could clearly smell that sickly sweet honey-like fragrance.

Shokuhou Misaki tightly pressed her lips together, staring fearfully at Kurumi. Her lips touched Kurumi's hand, and like a cat, her soft, delicate tongue curled around the pill.

Kurumi froze.

Oh my, this person... licked me.

Standing nearby, Misaka Mikoto suddenly stiffened… This bastard! This bastard! This bastard!

...

With the support of her faction members, the pale-faced Shokuhou Misaki finally left the cake shop.

"You... who exactly are you?" she asked warily, glancing back at Kurumi, her gaze briefly lingering on Misaka Mikoto with a hint of worry.

"Kurumi Tokisaki." Kurumi smiled softly, resting her right hand atop her left and holding it politely in front of her skirt.

"Kurumi... Tokisaki..." Shokuhou Misaki, her star-like eyes fixed on Kurumi for a moment, eventually turned and left.

As her figure disappeared from the cake shop, the remaining girls and staff members snapped back to their senses, resuming the actions that had been abruptly interrupted under Shokuhou Misaki's control.

A faint sense of confusion lingered in their minds. Wait, why did I stand up just now?

Ultimately, no one pursued the matter further.

...

Having ordered a classic baked cheesecake, Kurumi and Misaka Mikoto sat across from each other.

Both girls were blessed with physiques that never seemed to gain weight no matter how much they ate—something that would surely drive Shokuhou Misaki mad with envy.

However, it was clear that Misaka was somewhat distracted.

"What's wrong, Misaka?" Kurumi asked, her smile soft and comforting.

"Was it some aftereffect of Shokuhou Misaki's ability?" Kurumi leaned forward slightly, as though about to press her forehead against Misaka's to check her temperature.

Is this kind of closeness normal between girls?

Misaka Mikoto bit her lower lip, tasting the faint sweetness of her lip balm.

But then, to her surprise, Kurumi stopped suddenly, seemingly realizing it was inappropriate, and instead placed her hand gently on Misaka's forehead.

"Do you feel unwell? I have all kinds of medicines that can cure anything~~~ I could even bring you back to life if you were dead~"

"Hah—It's nothing," Misaka replied with a small laugh, as if Kurumi's words had amused her. "There's no such miraculous medicine, you know."

"Who knows~~~" Kurumi teased, cutting a small piece of cheesecake and placing it delicately into her mouth. Bathed in the golden afternoon sunlight, she looked like a painting come to life.

After what seemed like a long hesitation, Misaka finally couldn't hold back her question.

"Kurumi-senpai... are you an Esper?" Even when facing Shokuhou Misaki's mental attack, Misaka had experienced intense pain.

But Kurumi-senpai... seemed completely unfazed.

"Ah?" Kurumi blinked, as though surprised Misaka would ask such a question. Then, with a slight smile, she answered confidently.

"Maybe... I am."

"Maybe?" Misaka exhaled deeply. "Kurumi-senpai, are you a Level 4 Esper?"

Misaka hadn't considered the possibility of Level 5.

After all, there were only seven Level 5s in all of Academy City. Aside from the sixth and seventh, she could confirm the identities of the others.

And... the seventh was rumored to be a man, while the sixth—well, for some reason, Misaka instinctively avoided even considering that possibility.

But it couldn't be Kurumi-senpai.

"Nope~~~" Kurumi denied softly.

"Maybe~ I'm Level 5~" she added playfully, winking mischievously.

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