"Even Shirai-san has moments where she's at a loss, huh?"
On the way to the student dormitories of Sakugawa Middle School, Sonoko Natsume's gaze kept drifting toward Shirai. The girl seemed troubled by something.
Shirai's expression had been odd all day—every time she looked at Misaka-senpai, a tangled mess of emotions flickered in her eyes.
With her head bowed low and confusion clouding her features, Kuroko Shirai found herself replaying yesterday's bizarre encounter in her mind.
"Onee-sama, do you... have a twin? Or perhaps... did our father have a child outside of marriage?"
Unable to hold back any longer, Shirai suddenly blurted out the questions, her face flushing with an inexplicable intensity.
"Shirai-san? What are you talking about?" Sonoko Natsume was startled by the teleporter's outburst, stopping in her tracks to stare at her in surprise.
"Have you lost your mind? There's no way I have a twin," sighed Misaka-senpai, who was walking ahead. She turned around with an exasperated look.
"And 'our father'? You have no right to call him that." A spark of electricity crackled in Misaka's hair, leaving a charred mark on the ground right in front of Shirai.
"Onee-sama, I'm not crazy. I really did see two of you," Shirai insisted, stretching her neck defiantly, seemingly undaunted by Misaka's display of power.
"Really now, Kuroko, you must be seeing things. How could there possibly be another me? Not to sound boastful, but Tokiwadai's Railgun is one of a kind." Misaka-senpai's voice was laced with impatience, though a flicker of unease crossed her mind as soon as the words left her mouth, as if she'd remembered something.
"Maybe you're right, Onee-sama, but I know what I saw," Shirai maintained stubbornly.
"Two Misaka-senpais? I've been wondering about that since yesterday... It couldn't be..." Sonoko Natsume hesitated.
Shirai's words had triggered a flood of memories in Sonoko's mind—scenes from the A Certain Scientific Railgun anime. She found herself spacing out momentarily.
The Level 6 Shift Project. Accelerator.
The two terms surfaced in Sonoko Natsume's consciousness. She could extract memories from her very soul, but they had a tendency to slip away if she wasn't careful. Her recollections were always a chaotic jumble, often requiring significant effort to sort through.
It was only when faced with relevant people or events that these memories would sharpen into focus. Only after an event concluded would the experiences properly integrate into her own mind.
"Accelerator... the core of the Level 6 Shift Project."
A sudden wave of tension gripped Sonoko, but she took a deep breath and forced the feeling down.
Accelerator—the #1 Level 5 esper in Academy City, the pinnacle that all students looked up to.
The Level 6 Shift Project—the sinister plan to make him Level 6 by slaughtering the clones of Misaka Mikoto.
But no matter how powerful that Accelerator might be, Sonoko Natsume would firmly stand by Misaka-senpai's side.
If Misaka-senpai was Tokiwadai's princess, and Misaki Shokuhou-senpai was its queen, then she, Sonoko Natsume, would be Tokiwadai's knight, protecting everyone from harm.
Her mind raced, forming plans. She knew she wasn't powerful enough to stop the experiment herself—her own abilities were still too weak—but she could still do something.
Her power was decent for clearing out small fries, but it hardly made her a powerhouse hero. She lacked the critical hits to be an effective assassin, and she wasn't exactly fast either. As a mage, she was passable, but far too squishy—the type who'd go down in one hit if an enemy got close.
That only left one option: calling for backup. If you can't win a fight, bring friends!
It really was a shame she hadn't managed to get Sogiita Gunha's phone number.
Maybe she should just camp out at his school?
"Natsume-san, what's on your mind?" Misaka-senpai asked, her voice tinged with concern.
A myriad of expressions had flitted across Sonoko Natsume's face—she looked burdened with thoughts, yet somehow distant.
"I'm fine, I was just remembering something," Sonoko shook her head, indicating it was nothing. There were some things she simply couldn't explain.
"Looks like we're already here. We're almost there," Shirai spoke up, pointing a finger toward the Sakugawa Middle School dormitory building not far away.
"That was quick. Oh, is that Uiharu?" Sonoko snapped back to attention, her gaze landing on Uiharu, who was carrying some shopping bags, apparently returning from the supermarket or somewhere else.
"Uiharu!" Sonoko called out from a distance.
Uiharu Kazari noticed Sonoko and the others, a happy smile spreading across her face as she waved back.
"Where's Saten-san? I don't see her," Sonoko asked curiously as they climbed the stairs.
"Saten-san is attending a supplementary class. You know how our school is, always scheduling extra lessons. Her grades haven't been ideal," Uiharu replied softly, pulling out her key and inserting it into the dormitory door.
"Supplementary classes? Poor Saten-san," Misaka-senpai said sympathetically.
"Please, come in," Uiharu said, opening the door.
"Uiharu, we're back."
"Uiharu, you're home. And Misaka-san, you're here too."
A faint blush appeared on Haruue's cheeks; she still wasn't quite comfortable in crowded settings. Her introverted nature was even more pronounced than Sonoko's.
"Edasaki, we have guests in the room. Let's talk later," Haruue murmured under her breath.
"Haruue, were you talking to someone?" Misaka-senpai's hearing was sharp, picking up on Haruue's muttering.
"I was chatting with my friend. She'd been asleep for a very long time and only just woke up recently," Haruue explained without hesitation, a look of relief evident in her eyes.
Misaka and Shirai exchanged puzzled glances. Sonoko, at least, had some idea of what Haruue meant.
"Thank you all for coming. Actually, Konori-senpai called earlier. She looked into the Database. It seems Haruue-san is a Level 2 Telepath, capable of communicating with others through her mind," Uiharu said, having put down her bags and walked over with a smile.
"But a Level 2 Telepath isn't considered practical yet. They shouldn't be able to communicate with others properly," Shirai interjected.
"That's because Haruue can exceed her level's limits under specific wavelengths. Maybe she really is talking to someone," Uiharu mused, thoughtfully combing Haruue's hair like a big sister.
"It's Banri. I told her all about you. She'd really like to be friends too, but she's still in the hospital. She has to wait until she's fully recovered before she can be discharged," Haruue said, biting her lip and offering a small, gentle smile.
"Banri? This is the first time I've heard you mention a friend, Haruue-san," Uiharu said, surprised, as she gathered a strand of Haruue's hair and began braiding it.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.