[AUTHOR NOTE: Extra chapter for 100 powerstones. I just checked it. Should have uploaded this extra chapter earlier. I apologize for this.]
Tokiwadai Dormitory. Room 208.
"Really..."
Misaka Mikoto stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her pajamas and drying her hair with a towel.
She stopped dead.
Sitting on the bed was Shirai Kuroko. Her expression looked like her soul had ascended to the afterlife. Her eyes were dull, lifeless, and filled with the trauma of a thousand wars.
"Um... What's going on?"
Mikoto blinked.
"Kuroko? I didn't hear you come back. What happened? You look like you've been through a wringer."
"Onee-sama..."
Kuroko slowly turned her head. Tears streamed down her face like waterfalls.
"You took a shower... right after the date."
"Oh my god. He definitely touched you. You were cuddling with that Ape... and now you're washing off his scent... The next step is definitely a hotel..."
Mikoto's expression froze.
A chill ran down her spine.
"Kuroko? What are you mumbling about? Why are you suddenly saying these random, gross things? Are you possessed?"
"Onee-sama! Please don't deliberately avoid the topic!"
Kuroko suddenly stood up. She wiped her tears with her forearm, her expression shifting from grief to authoritative interrogation.
"I know you are shy, but we need to address this crisis! How long have you known that Male?!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? That man? I don't understand a word."
Mikoto crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. She was genuinely confused.
"It's that man you were just talking about in the bathroom! He actually managed to trick my sister into kissing him!"
Kuroko wailed, covering her eyes.
"Ahhh! Even I haven't gotten a kiss yet! But that Ape tricked you so easily! Waaaaah!"
Thump.
Mikoto's heart skipped a beat. Her face flushed red instantly.
'No way... How did she hear that?!'
She had indeed been muttering about that guy (Yuuya) kissing her cheek during the previous incident. She thought she was alone.
"Hey! Just wondering... how much did you hear? Are you eavesdropping on me in the shower?!"
"It's not about the shower! It's about what happened Yesterday! And Today!"
Kuroko clutched her twin-tails, her eyes wide with terror. She teleported directly in front of Mikoto, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
"What stage are you at?! Did you already cross the line with that Ape?!"
BAM!
Mikoto's face turned beet red. She delivered a swift punch to the top of Kuroko's head.
"That's enough, Kuroko! What nonsense are you spouting?! It's been nonsensical from the beginning!"
"Ouch! That hurts!"
Kuroko squatted on the floor, clutching the fresh bump on her head.
"Explain yourself clearly!" Mikoto shouted, embarrassed and angry.
"Huh? Onee-sama... why hit me? Why are you pretending?"
Kuroko looked up, bewildered. Why was Onee-sama acting like she knew nothing?
"I'm not pretending! You're the one spreading rumors! What 'line'? What 'Ape'?"
"Sister... are you avoiding the topic?"
"I am NOT avoiding the topic!"
"It's about your Date! With that Ape! At the Family Restaurant!"
Kuroko stood up, unleashing her grievance like a Gatling gun.
"He was feeding you ice cream! You were blushing! Damn it, Sister, don't be fooled by him! Any boy who gets close to Onee-sama has ulterior motives! He's trying to deceive your body and soul... Ugh!"
CHOP!
Without hesitation, Mikoto delivered a karate chop to Kuroko's skull.
"Oh... Why again, Onee-sama?" Kuroko whined, crouching down again.
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask! What fantasy world are you living in?!"
Mikoto clenched her fists. Blue-white sparks of electricity crackled around her bangs. A large, throbbing vein popped out on her forehead.
"Boyfriend? Feeding each other? Date?!"
"How is that possible?! How could I possibly have a boyfriend, let alone feed each other in public?! Don't mistake your perverted nightmares for reality!"
She smiled. It was a terrifying, "kind" smile.
"Also, Kuroko... You haven't been spreading these delusions around the dorm, have you?"
Zzzzt.
An arc of electricity struck near Kuroko's feet.
Kuroko creaked upright like a rusty robot. Cold sweat poured down her face.
"Onee-sama...?"
"Tell me. Why would you fantasize about me on a date? Looks like I'll have to cure your twisted personality with some Shock Therapy."
"I'm not crazy!"
Kuroko shouted, desperation breaking her voice.
"I'm just wondering why Onee-sama is acting like she doesn't know anything!"
"I saw you! Just an hour ago! At the Buffet Restaurant!"
"I saw him feeding you ice cream! I walked up to the table! And you... you pretended not to know Kuroko!"
Kuroko burst into tears again, bawling like a child.
"Waaaaah! My heart is broken! You looked right at me and said 'I don't understand'! You ignored me for a man!"
"..."
The electricity around Mikoto vanished.
Her anger evaporated, replaced by total confusion.
"Waaaaah... Oh no... I'm ignored..."
Mikoto looked at her sobbing roommate. She felt a pang of guilt, though she didn't know why.
'Crying? She's really crying?'
'Usually, she just acts perverted. This... this feels real.'
"Um... Okay, okay. I went too far with the sparks. Kuroko, don't cry."
Mikoto sighed, scratching her head.
"But... seriously. I wasn't at a restaurant an hour ago. I was walking back from the arcade."
"Really?" Kuroko sniffled, looking up with teary eyes. "Then... why did you pretend?"
"I didn't pretend! I wasn't there!"
Mikoto sat down on the bed, looking at Kuroko seriously.
"Although I don't know what you saw... tell me slowly. From the beginning."
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