What are they doing?, Uiharu Kazari cocked her head in puzzlement.
In front of her was a taxi, stopped as if at a red light. Inside, a young girl about 10-years-old was quarreling with the driver... Or rather, the girl appeared to be having a one-sided quarrel.
Uiharu didn't have to be near just to hear the loud voice.
"'Misaka is saying to let me off here, let me off here — why you won't let Misaka go!?' says Misaka as Misaka tries to protest with hands on her hips and cheeks puffing!!"
"Well, you see, I've already received the fare to the destination. Stopovers are—"
"'Misaka will try to attempt an escape at that opportunity of an excuse!!' Misaka says as Misaka gets down from the car at high speed and rushes for the back alleys!!"
As the little girl screamed, she had already entered into the narrow alleyway that seemed too small for even a bicycle to go through.
Uiharu approached the driver as he was scratching his head and saying 'I give up.'
"Hm? Oh dear, are you Judgment?"
The driver said upon seeing Uiharu's armband.
Judgment was a student organization tasked with keeping order in Academy City. Though those tasks were mainly within schools, the distinctions did not seem to stick much to normal townspeople.
Uiharu, with a puzzled face,
"Errr, is there some sort of trouble? Like that child getting off and going somewhere without paying?"
"It's the other way around, the other way."
The driver, with an embarrassed face,
"I got the fare beforehand from someone that appears to be that child's guardian, and was supposed to send the child to the guardian's apartment. And so the child went off on the way, and I can't even give the change to her."
"Ah. The passenger can do like she pleases, so can you take the change as a tip?"
"The taxi fare is ¥1200. The deposit given to me beforehand is ¥5000. To take that as a tip would hurt my conscience."
What a kind person, Uiharu thought to herself.
The driver shifted his gaze onto the alley that was obviously too narrow for his car,
"...Even so, I need get out to go chase her, as expected."
"Shall I go look for her?"
"Yes please, I'd appreciate it if you could do that."
The driver used a machine inside his taxi to output a receipt, placed the change on top of it, and handed it to Uiharu. Uiharu was in no condition to look out for special monetary problems due to her Judgment armband attached to her.
"Please bring her back."
"Got it."
Uiharu stored the change in her skirt pocket and exchanged contact addresses just in case with the taxi driver, before turning to the narrow alley and setting off.
Facing the sunlight-less gloomy space, she called out,
"Errr, what's your name? Umm, Ahoge-chan[1]!?"
"'Misaka's identifier is Last Order!!' says Misaka as Misaka—ha!?"
With a reply coming back at once, Uiharu walked to where it had come from and captured the little girl.